How much of the AI data center boom will be powered by renewable energy? (techcrunch.com)

The IEA reports the world will spend roughly $580 billion on data centers this year — about $40 billion more than is being spent finding new oil — highlighting a rapid shift in capital toward AI infrastructure. That growth will drive a massive uptick in electricity demand: roughly half of the projected new data‑center power needs are expected in the U.S., with China and Europe accounting for much of the remainder. Major players have announced enormous build plans (OpenAI ~$1.4T, Meta ~$600B, Anthropic ~$50B), but questions remain about how many of those projects will actually get built and how they’ll be financed, pushing potential government support and tax‑credit debates into focus. The sustainability angle matters: data centers can strain local grids, especially near mid‑sized cities where many are sited, and during summer peak loads (think rolling brownouts). But renewables — particularly solar arrays colocated with facilities — and distributed solutions like microgrids are positioned to take up a big share of that new demand. Startups and firms like Redwood Energy are experimenting with second‑life EV batteries to create microgrids tailored to AI facilities, reducing transmission pressure and emissions. The bottom line: the AI data‑center boom creates both a major challenge for grid resilience and a sizable market opportunity for renewable generation, battery storage, and innovative data‑center design — provided financing, permitting and policy align to make planned builds real and green.