Data centers could erase decades of air quality gains
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TL;DR
- Texas is experiencing a rapid increase in data center capacity, becoming a leading market for this infrastructure.
- New and proposed data centers require vast amounts of electricity, posing a risk to air quality.
- According to a HARC report, if data centers rely on the projected grid mix, soot pollution could triple and NOx emissions could increase by 136%.
- The choice of energy sources is critical: on-site renewable energy (solar and wind) can significantly lower pollution, while on-site gas engines could lead to the highest pollution levels.
- Developers are increasingly opting for gas turbines to speed up construction, contributing to a more polluting data center boom.
- This potential rise in pollution threatens decades of air quality improvements achieved by the state.