electricity grid

The European Union is moving to limit the energy and water consumption of data centres, in a bid to control the resources used by the fast-growing digital infrastructure sector. The proposal comes as data centre demand surges, driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence, raising concerns about strain on electricity grids and water supplies across member states.

Nature has published an item titled 'Lowering lithium impacts', focused on reducing the environmental and social costs of lithium extraction. Lithium is central to electric vehicle batteries and grid storage, and mining it consumes large amounts of water and affects local communities. The publication is drawing attention from readers following the clean energy transition.

California has installed so much solar capacity that it generates more electricity than needed during midafternoon hours, with the surplus going unused even as the grid faces potential shortages in the evening when solar output drops. One proposal gaining attention: give low-income consumers free power from 1 pm to 3 pm to absorb the excess and ease evening demand.

Ukraine has moved to cut electricity supplies to Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed in 2014 and which Moscow calls its unsinkable fortress. The move is being framed as a strike at the infrastructure sustaining Russia's military presence there. Commentators are watching how Crimea's power grid and civilian population will cope without the supply.

Hawaiian Electric reports growing demand for electric vehicle charging across its service areas, based on new usage data highlighted by Hawaii News Now. The increase reflects continued EV adoption in the islands, with more drivers plugging in across Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island. Officials point to the trend as utilities and communities weigh grid readiness and charging infrastructure investment.

Stanford Graduate School of Business argues that clean energy deployment is being held back not by technological limits but by outdated market design. The piece contends that electricity markets, pricing rules and regulatory structures were built for fossil fuels and now slow the integration of renewables. The argument feeds a wider debate among policymakers and energy analysts about whether grid reform, rather than new innovation, is the priority for the energy transition.

Power Network Tycoon, a power grid management simulation, has been officially released. The game lets players build and manage electrical networks, with physics-based simulation at its core. It is available on Steam and runs on Linux, a point highlighted by Linux gaming outlets and communities, who are discussing the release among fans of management and simulation titles.

The Tennessee Valley Authority generated record amounts of electricity to keep homes powered during September's heatwave, local outlet WBIR reports. The utility met unprecedented demand for air conditioning across the Tennessee Valley as extreme heat pushed residents' energy use to new highs, testing the region's power grid.

China's energy strategy is pulling in two directions in Pakistan: Beijing spent years financing coal-fired power plants there as part of its Belt and Road investments, yet China is now the world's dominant solar exporter and is helping drive a rapid, largely unplanned boom in cheap Chinese solar panels across Pakistan. The result is tension between the installed coal fleet that needs to run to repay debts and a solar surge undermining demand for grid electricity.

The port of Rotterdam is deploying a temporary transformer to relieve grid capacity constraints that limit shore power and electrification at Europe's largest port. With demand for electricity rising as ships and terminals seek to cut emissions, the stopgap solution could ease bottlenecks until permanent grid reinforcements are completed, highlighting how energy infrastructure is becoming a constraint on ports' sustainability plans.

The US Senate has rejected a bill that sought to address the rising electricity costs driven by AI data centres. Democrats criticised the legislation as lacking 'teeth' and are pushing for mandatory measures instead of the voluntary approach it proposed. The vote comes amid growing political tension over the energy demands of the AI boom and who should bear the resulting costs.

A Newsweek explainer outlines how data centers can harm the environment, pointing to their heavy electricity and water consumption and the associated carbon emissions. As artificial intelligence and cloud services drive rapid growth in data center construction worldwide, communities and regulators are increasingly questioning the industry's energy demands, water use, and effects on local power grids and climate goals.

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has released an energy plan focused on expanding clean energy to meet rising electricity demand and the targets set by the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The proposal emphasizes renewable generation and grid readiness as data centers and population growth drive up consumption across the state.

Sweden has delivered 31 tons of power hardware to three Ukrainian regions, part of ongoing Western support for Ukraine's battered energy infrastructure. The equipment is intended to help maintain electricity supplies in areas affected by Russian strikes on the power grid. The delivery highlights Sweden's continued role in international aid to Ukraine as winter strains energy systems.

Rystad Energy highlights the growing strain on power grids from booming data center demand, warning that physical limits on electricity supply will ultimately constrain the industry's expansion. The report argues that no amount of investment or scheduling can fully outrun the constraints of grid capacity and generation, as AI and cloud computing drive electricity consumption to unprecedented levels.