Energy in Demand News, December 15, 2024

BP and Shell are scaling back electricity ambitions to escape the ‘valley of death,’ according to the Financial Times website (behind a paywall). Over the past five years, the two companies had spent a combined US$18 billion to be major players in electricity. But now Shell has sold its retail electricity business in Germany, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 15, 2024 →

Some ways in which the spread of AI data centres is challenging utilities and grid managers, and how the power industry in the US is responding

Anurag Srivastava, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University writes on The Conversation about how utilities in the US are coping with AI data centres. What are your views. Is the experience similar in Europe and other regions? How utilities are working to meet AI data centers’ voracious appetite for electricity … Continue reading Some ways in which the spread of AI data centres is challenging utilities and grid managers, and how the power industry in the US is responding →

Energy in Demand News, December 8, 2024

How many times have we heard President-elect Donald Trump say: “We will drill, baby, drill.” It’s not clear that producers will fall in line. For the past six years, the US has already been the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, and produces about … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 8, 2024 →

AI as a crucial tool in helping those in the energy industry navigate this deeply complex transition

This week, IEA organised a conference on AI and we hope to hear some of the results in coming days. In advance, we have an article on the Power Magazine website, Ray Rasmussen, managing principal of rGen Consulting, argues that embracing AI is not just an option but a necessity for a sustainable and efficient … Continue reading AI as a crucial tool in helping those in the energy industry navigate this deeply complex transition →

Energy in Demand News, December 1, 2024

The New York Times (behind a paywall) wrote: “Five dry words — ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’ — led to a bitter diplomatic spat Tuesday. . . . A handful of petrostates, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, ensured that a United Nations General Assembly resolution on climate change steered clear of such language, despite … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 1, 2024 →

Europe has an opportunity to leverage AI to optimise its energy systems to ensure a more sustainable approach to using its limited resources

Data centres already consume 2% of the world’s electricity demand. It expects this share to grow to 7% by 2030. In an article on the Euractiv website, Christoph Schwaiger discusses how the European Commission is preparing technical specifications for a study to develop a measurement framework for the energy efficiency of general-purpose AI models. Importantly, … Continue reading Europe has an opportunity to leverage AI to optimise its energy systems to ensure a more sustainable approach to using its limited resources →

Data centres are threatening the very energy transition on which so many governments have staked everything

Irina Slav writes on the OilPrice website about how data centres, particularly since the AI rush began, are turning into an unexpected obstacle that may well compromise the whole transition offensive against hydrocarbons. What are your views? Data Centers Highlight the Limits of Renewable Energy Scaling Until about a year ago, no one paid … Continue reading Data centres are threatening the very energy transition on which so many governments have staked everything →

AI will greatly improve energy efficiency

There has been much talk of the massive amount of energy likely to be used by data centres and artificial intelligence, but could there be another side of the story? Asks Andrew Warren, Chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, in an article in the October issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. Is … Continue reading AI will greatly improve energy efficiency →

Energy in Demand News, October 6, 2024

Congratulations to the UK to finally bid farewell to the power of King Coal with the closing of its last coal-fired power plant. Britain opened the world’s first coal-burning power plant in 1882 (built by Thomas Edison) and now has become the first major country to end coal-fired power. Renewables’ share of UK electricity jumped … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, October 6, 2024 →

Demystifying AI’s energy footprint in industry

In an article on the Business Reporter website, Heiko Claussen Senior Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at AspenTech explains how industrial AI saves more than it consumes. Debunking the AI energy myth Global energy consumption is on a steep growth path. According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook, it is projected … Continue reading Demystifying AI’s energy footprint in industry →