Google, Zuckerberg Take Over Electricity
There was an assumption about the largest tech companies. They would help design the grid and energy system of the future. Many will build their own grids, and these will not be attached to those that serve residences or legacy customers.
As a byproduct of these efforts, all the large tech companies were going to be green by 2040. Now, they will be electricity hogs within a year or two. At that point, the overall demand for electricity might prompt US utilities to consider returning to coal. The megatechs have even changed their public evaluations of the green plans. For those who wrote them, it must be a humiliation. Their founders and CEOs have turned their backs on a signature program.
The Server Farm Battle
The New York Times recently pointed out the tech electricity plan. However, the problem might be worse than the newspaper expects. Eric Schmidt, the former head of Google, says that AI server farms will need 99% of the electricity worldwide. That is impossible. So something will need to give. Under this assumption, utility companies will not be able to service residential customers.
The Times asks another question, which is who will fight for legacy electricity users. The first wave may be electricity users themselves, particularly as rates for electricity rise. However, grassroots protests are not going to work against the world’s largest companies and their armies of lobbyists and lawyers.
Electivity may be the biggest political football of the 2028 election, and it may stay that way for years. It is almost impossible to see how electricity demand can stop rising. At some point, the bill comes due in terms of both rates and usage
More from Electricity Wars
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