renewable energy integration

The datacenter industry is undergoing a massive energy transition, with hyperscale operators leading commitments to 100% renewable energy. Of 594 active datacenter projects analyzed, 149 (25.1%) have explicit renewable energy commitments, representing 49,071 MW (37.4%) of total capacity. This transformation is reshaping power markets, driving unprecedented renewable energy deployment, and establishing new standards for corporate sustainability.

overview

adoption rates

by project count

Overall Adoption: 25.1% of datacenter projects (149 of 594) have renewable energy commitments. This reflects a significant shift toward sustainability, though the majority of projects still lack explicit renewable commitments.

Capacity Weighted: Renewable adoption is significantly higher when weighted by capacity. 37.4% of total datacenter power capacity (49,071 of 131,072 MW) comes from projects with renewable commitments. This indicates that larger hyperscale projects are more likely to commit to renewable energy than smaller facilities.

regional variation

State Leaders (projects with 2+ datacenters)

Oregon: 15/15 projects (100%), 1,358 MW renewable
Iowa: 8/12 projects (67%), 300 MW renewable
Wyoming: 4/6 projects (67%), 3,000 MW renewable
South Carolina: 5/9 projects (56%), minimal capacity disclosed
New Mexico: 3/6 projects (50%), 1,290 MW renewable
Colorado: 4/8 projects (50%), 161 MW renewable
Washington: 8/18 projects (44%), 344 MW renewable
Wisconsin: 4/9 projects (44%), 4,800 MW renewable

Regional Patterns

Pacific Northwest leads with high renewable adoption (Oregon, Washington)
Upper Midwest strong performers (Iowa, Wisconsin)
Mountain West emerging (Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado)
Texas Triangle and Southeast lag despite growth
California surprisingly low explicit commitments despite state mandates

gigawatt-scale renewable projects

data city texas

Location: Texas Capacity: 5,000 MW Status: Planned

Renewable Strategy

100% on-site green energy 24/7 commitment
Initially natural gas, transitioning to green hydrogen
Hydrogen salt dome storage facility planned
First major datacenter hydrogen project in US
Demonstrates path to carbon-free computing at massive scale

delta gigasite (utah)

Location: Utah Capacity: 4,000 MW Status: Planned

Renewable Mix

Intermountain Power Project (IPP) access
On-site solar panels
Considering geothermal resources
Wind energy potential
Evaluating nuclear options
Natural gas (Kern River Pipeline) for reliability

cloverleaf infrastructure (wisconsin)

Location: Port Washington, Wisconsin Capacity: 3,500 MW Status: Planned

Renewable Focus

Founded by Brian Janous, former head of energy at Microsoft
Explicit focus on low-carbon electricity
Leveraging Wisconsin’s renewable resources
Strategic approach to clean energy procurement
Industry leadership in sustainable design

vermaland la osa (arizona)

Location: Eloy, Arizona Capacity: 3,000 MW Status: Planned

Hybrid Energy System

Solar, natural gas, battery storage, grid connectivity
Natural gas plant in first phase
Transition to solar as primary source
3,300-acre site with solar potential
Grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS)

amazon aws new carlisle (indiana)

Location: New Carlisle, Indiana Capacity: 2,250 MW Status: Under Construction

AWS Commitment

100% renewable energy corporate goal
Part of AWS broader sustainability initiative
$121M investment in infrastructure improvements
Road, water, and sewer upgrades
Community investment alongside renewable commitment

meta richland parish (louisiana)

Location: Richland Parish, Louisiana Capacity: 2,000 MW Status: Under Construction

Renewable Partnership

Meta pledges 100% clean and renewable energy matching
Working with Entergy to bring 1,500+ MW new renewables to grid
AI datacenter design with efficiency focus
Waterless cooling technology
Major renewable energy investment in Louisiana

quantum frederick (maryland)

Location: Frederick County, Maryland Capacity: 2,000 MW Status: Under Construction

Carbon Strategy

600-acre nature reserve storing 2,800 tons of carbon annually
QLoop 40-mile fiber ring with 235,000 fiber strands
Renewable energy procurement
Carbon offset through on-site forestry
Integrated sustainability approach

crusoe/tallgrass (wyoming)

Location: Wyoming Capacity: 1,800 MW Status: Announced

Carbon Capture Focus

Powered by Wyoming natural gas with carbon capture technology
Proximity to Tallgrass CO2 sequestration hub
Long-term carbon storage solutions
Demonstrates carbon capture at datacenter scale
Natural gas bridge to carbon-neutral operations

solar energy integration

utility-scale solar partnerships

Google Mesa Data Center (Arizona)

Air-cooled technology reducing water consumption
Access to Arizona’s abundant solar resources
Google’s first physical presence in Arizona
Part of Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy goals

Meta Mesa Data Center (Arizona)

Multiple buildings in ‘H’ configuration
Access to utility-scale solar via Arizona Public Service
Corporate renewable energy matching
Supporting Arizona solar development

Microsoft West US 3 (Arizona)

Adiabatic cooling: zero water when below 85°F
Leveraging abundant Phoenix-area sunshine
Azure region supporting renewable energy growth
763 FTE projected by end 2026

on-site solar deployment

Zenith Volts Roswell (New Mexico)

1,250 MW datacenter capacity
On-site solar generation
Modular solar-thermal hybrid systems
250-acre battery energy storage system (BESS)
Demonstrates integrated solar-datacenter design

fifteenfortyseven Chester County (Pennsylvania)

450 MW hyperscale campus
Rooftop solar: 7 MW capacity, scalable to 25 MW
Carbon-free power access by 2025-2026
Reforestation project with 4,000 new trees
Comprehensive sustainability approach

solar power purchase agreements (ppas)

Google Kansas City (Missouri)

400 MW datacenter capacity
400 MW carbon-free energy from Beavertail Solar farm
PPA with Evergy, Ranger Power, and DESRI
Solar farm in former coal community
Economic development and renewable energy combined

Google Mayes County (Oklahoma)

372 MW Mayes County solar portfolio
Located within one mile of datacenter
PPA with Lee Energy Solar
Expected operations by end of 2025
Co-location of generation and load

wind energy partnerships

meta kansas city (missouri)

Golden Plains Technology Park

1,000,000 sq ft facility
750 MW capacity
Net-zero carbon emissions commitment
430 MW renewable energy from first utility-scale renewable in Missouri
Likely wind energy from Missouri wind resources

meta dekalb (illinois)

Wind Energy Investment

200 MW datacenter capacity
Invested in two Illinois wind energy projects
295 MW of renewable energy added to local grid
Used AI-developed low-carbon concrete (40% lower emissions)
Comprehensive sustainability approach

iowa wind resources

Strong Wind State

Iowa leads in wind energy percentage (over 60% of electricity)
Multiple datacenter projects leveraging wind
QTS Cedar Rapids: water-free cooling plus wind energy
Google Council Bluffs: long-standing wind partnerships
Meta Altoona: renewable energy matching

nuclear energy access

amazon talen energy (pennsylvania)

Salem Township Nuclear Deal

960 MW datacenter capacity
Draws electricity from Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
Nuclear power plant direct connection
Talen Energy sold 960 MW nuclear-powered datacenter campus
First major direct nuclear-to-datacenter deal in US
Controversial transaction under regulatory review

Significance

24/7 carbon-free baseload power
No intermittency challenges
High capacity factor
Demonstrates nuclear role in datacenter power
Potential model for future developments

palo verde access (arizona)

Arizona Nuclear

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station: 3.9 GW capacity
Largest nuclear plant in United States
Carbon-free baseload available to Phoenix-area datacenters
Grid connection for 24/7 clean energy
Supplement to solar and storage

power purchase agreements (ppas)

corporate ppa structures

Traditional PPAs

Long-term contracts (10-25 years typical)
Fixed price or escalation structures
Offtake agreements supporting project financing
Renewable energy credits (RECs) bundled
Physical or financial settlement

Virtual PPAs (VPPAs)

Financial contracts without physical delivery
Datacenter buys RECs, cash settles energy price difference
Enables renewable support anywhere on grid
Common for large hyperscale operators
Flexible geographic matching

matching vs additionality

Renewable Energy Matching

Many operators commit to “match” consumption with renewables
May use existing renewable capacity (RECs purchased)
Does not necessarily add new renewable capacity
Time-matching vs volumetric matching debate
100% renewable claim vs actual grid impact

Additionality

Contractual commitment that causes new renewable project
Directly results in renewable capacity addition
Higher environmental impact
Often required for corporate sustainability goals
Google, Meta, Microsoft emphasize additionality

24/7 carbon-free energy

Google’s Leadership

Pioneered 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) goal
Aims for carbon-free energy every hour, not just annual matching
Requires baseload carbon-free (nuclear, geothermal, hydro)
Battery storage for solar/wind intermittency
Advanced grid management and forecasting
Oklahoma pilot projects demonstrating feasibility

Industry Adoption

Microsoft exploring 24/7 CFE
Meta investigating hourly matching
Requires more sophisticated procurement
Higher cost than simple annual matching
Drives battery storage deployment

regional renewable availability

pacific northwest: hydro dominance

Oregon

100% of datacenter projects have renewable commitments
Abundant hydroelectric power
Low electricity costs
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) hydro
Wind energy supplement
Geothermal potential in central/eastern Oregon

Washington

44% of projects with renewable commitments
Columbia River hydro dominance
Grand Coulee, Chief Joseph, other BPA dams
Wind energy in eastern Washington
Low-cost renewable electricity

upper midwest: wind leadership

Iowa

67% renewable adoption in datacenter projects
Over 60% of state electricity from wind
Among highest wind percentages globally
Low electricity costs
Google, Meta, Microsoft all present
Rural economic development through wind

Wisconsin

44% renewable adoption
Cloverleaf 3,500 MW project emphasizing low-carbon
Mix of wind, solar, and renewable natural gas
Utility partnerships for renewable procurement

mountain west: diverse resources

Wyoming

67% renewable adoption
Wind resources excellent (eastern Wyoming)
Low population, high wind potential
Crusoe/Tallgrass carbon capture project
Related Digital air-cooled facility
Natural gas with carbon capture pathway

New Mexico

50% renewable adoption
Outstanding solar irradiance
Wind potential in eastern plains
Zenith Volts Roswell solar + storage project
Lower development costs than neighbors

Colorado

50% renewable adoption
Strong renewable portfolio standards
Xcel Energy wind leadership
Mountain solar resources
T5@Colorado Springs leveraging cooler climate

southwest: solar abundance

Arizona

300+ days of sunshine annually
Massive utility-scale solar deployment
Palo Verde nuclear baseload
Google, Meta, Microsoft projects
Solar + storage increasingly economical
Vermaland La Osa hybrid system

Nevada

Geothermal resources (northern Nevada)
Solar in southern Nevada (Las Vegas area)
Reno area wind potential
Google and Apple Reno campuses
NV Energy renewable portfolio

California

Despite state mandates, lower explicit commitments in datacenter data
Extensive utility-scale solar
Offshore wind development beginning
Diablo Canyon nuclear (extended operations)
High renewable percentage in grid mix

texas: grid challenges and opportunities

ERCOT Grid

Isolated from other grids (minimal interconnections)
Rapid wind and solar growth
West Texas wind leadership
South Texas solar expansion
Grid reliability challenges
Battery storage deployment accelerating

Datacenter Adoption

Lower renewable commitment rate than expected
Data City Texas 5,000 MW green hydrogen project stands out
Natural gas dominance in many projects
Grid reliability concerns
Future potential for solar + storage

success stories

meta kansas city: first missouri utility-scale renewable

Project Details

1,000,000 sq ft facility, 750 MW capacity
Net-zero carbon emissions commitment
32% less energy than typical datacenter
80% more water-efficient than industry standard
LEED Gold certification

Renewable Achievement

430 MW renewable energy from first utility-scale renewable project in Missouri
Expanded from original $800M to$ 1B investment
Opened August 2025 with over 100 jobs
Demonstrates corporate catalyst for state renewable energy market
Economic development and clean energy combined

google oklahoma: co-located solar

Mayes County Campus

372 MW Mayes County solar portfolio under construction
Located within one mile of datacenter
Expected to begin operations by end of 2025
PPA with Lee Energy Solar
Demonstrates co-location of generation and load

Significance

Minimizes transmission losses
Grid benefits from local generation
Economic development in rural Oklahoma
Model for future datacenter solar integration

oregon: 100% renewable adoption

Statewide Leadership

All 15 datacenter projects have renewable commitments
1,358 MW renewable capacity
Meta Prineville campus with PUE 1.06
Google The Dalles campus
Abundant hydro, wind, and solar resources

Enabling Factors

Low-cost hydroelectric baseload
Renewable portfolio standards
Utility partnerships
Community support
Corporate sustainability alignment

challenges and barriers

intermittency

Solar and Wind Variability

Solar only generates during daylight
Wind generation varies with weather patterns
Seasonal variations in output
Datacenters require 24/7 power
Mismatch between generation and consumption

Solutions

Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
Grid-scale batteries increasingly economical
Forecasting and dispatch optimization
Demand response and flexible computing
Hybrid renewable + storage systems

grid constraints

Transmission Limitations

Renewable resources often remote (West Texas wind, eastern New Mexico solar)
Transmission infrastructure inadequate
Congestion and curtailment
Long lead times for transmission buildout
Cost allocation disputes

Interconnection Queues

Hundreds of gigawatts of renewable projects in queue
3-5 year (or longer) interconnection timelines
Reform efforts underway (FERC Order 2023)
Datacenter timelines faster than renewable project development
Risk of renewable commitments delayed

cost considerations

Renewable Premium

Historically, renewables cost more than fossil fuels
Economics rapidly improving (solar and wind now cheapest in many markets)
Battery storage costs declining
24/7 CFE still premium pricing
Corporate willingness to pay varies

PPA Structures

Long-term contracts lock in prices
Price risk if market prices decline
Financing implications
Balance sheet treatment
Complexity in procurement

community opposition

Local Resistance to Renewables

Solar farms face land use opposition
Wind turbines: visual impact, noise concerns
Transmission line siting challenges
Rural community impacts
Agricultural land conversion

Datacenter-Specific Opposition

Some projects canceled due to energy consumption concerns
Tucson Amazon AWS Project Blue: canceled over water and energy
Cumulus Missouri project: canceled over groundwater and energy costs
Community preference for renewable-powered facilities
Growing scrutiny of datacenter energy sourcing

future pathways

short-term (2025-2027)

Expected Developments

Continued PPA growth
More on-site solar deployments
Battery storage integration standard
Renewable percentage increasing
State mandates driving adoption

Technology

Solar + storage economics improving
Liquid cooling enabling higher efficiency
Advanced power management systems
Grid-interactive computing pilots
Demand response programs

medium-term (2027-2030)

Market Transformation

50%+ of new datacenter capacity with renewable commitments
24/7 CFE demonstrations proving feasibility
Advanced geothermal deployments
Small modular reactors (SMRs) potential
Hydrogen for backup power pilots

Policy Evolution

Federal tax credits extending (IRA)
State renewable mandates strengthening
Corporate reporting requirements
Scope 3 emissions scrutiny
Supply chain renewable requirements

long-term (2030+)

Vision

100% renewable datacenter sector
24/7 carbon-free energy standard
Nuclear renaissance (SMRs, advanced reactors)
Green hydrogen backup power
Grid-scale storage ubiquitous
Fusion energy potential (2035+)

Enabling Infrastructure

Transmission buildout complete
Smart grid with real-time optimization
Distributed energy resources integration
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) for additional storage
Advanced forecasting and dispatch

technology innovations

advanced geothermal

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

Not limited to volcanic areas
Drilling technology from oil and gas industry
24/7 baseload carbon-free power
Fervo Energy and others developing
Potential game-changer for datacenter power

Datacenter Applications

Ideal for 24/7 CFE goals
No intermittency
Small footprint
Scalable
Complements solar and wind

small modular reactors (smrs)

Technology Status

NuScale first US design certified
Other designs in development
50-300 MW capacity per module
Factory-built, site-assembled
Enhanced safety features

Datacenter Potential

Right-sized for large datacenter campus
On-site or adjacent generation
24/7 carbon-free baseload
Decades of operation (60+ years)
Public acceptance challenge

green hydrogen

Data City Texas Pioneer

5,000 MW datacenter with hydrogen commitment
Initially natural gas, transitioning to green hydrogen
Hydrogen salt dome storage facility
First major datacenter hydrogen project

Broader Potential

Hydrogen for backup power (fuel cells)
Replace diesel generators
Long-duration energy storage
Grid balancing
Cost and infrastructure barriers

grid-interactive computing

Concept

Datacenters adjust computing load based on renewable availability
Run batch jobs when solar/wind abundant
Reduce load during low renewable generation
Flatten demand curve
Maximize renewable utilization

Google Pilots

Shifting computing to times of renewable abundance
Machine learning optimizing dispatch
Carbon-aware load shifting
Early-stage but promising
Requires flexible computing workloads

policy and regulatory landscape

federal incentives

Investment Tax Credit (ITC)

30% credit for solar projects
Energy storage eligible (standalone or paired)
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) extended and enhanced
Supports datacenter solar deployment
Reduces PPA prices

Production Tax Credit (PTC)

Per-kWh credit for wind, geothermal, others
Technology-neutral clean energy credits
Supports new renewable capacity
Lowers PPA pricing for datacenters
10-year credit period

state mandates

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)

Many states require percentage of electricity from renewables
Timelines vary (2030, 2040, 2050)
Drives utility procurement
Benefits datacenter renewable access
Examples: California 100% by 2045, New Mexico 100% by 2045

Clean Energy Standards

Broader than RPS (includes nuclear, carbon capture)
Supports 24/7 CFE goals
Enables diverse pathways
Examples: Virginia, Washington

corporate reporting requirements

SEC Climate Disclosure Rules

Proposed rules requiring climate risk disclosure
Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions reporting
Drives corporate renewable commitments
Standardizes disclosure
Implementation timeline uncertain

CDP and TCFD

Voluntary disclosure frameworks
Many large corporations participate
Investor pressure for transparency
Renewable energy commitments prominent
Competitive differentiation

industry leadership

hyperscale operators

Google

Pioneered large-scale renewable PPAs
24/7 carbon-free energy goal (leading industry)
Billions invested in renewable projects
Additionality emphasis
Transparency in reporting

Meta (Facebook)

100% renewable energy achieved (annual matching)
Massive PPA portfolio
Supporting grid renewable development
Net-zero carbon commitment
Supply chain engagement

Microsoft

Carbon negative by 2030 goal
Removes historical emissions by 2050
100% renewable by 2025 (achieved)
24/7 CFE exploration
Brian Janous (former energy lead) now at Cloverleaf Infrastructure

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

100% renewable energy goal
World’s largest corporate renewable energy buyer
Massive solar and wind portfolio
Path to net-zero carbon by 2040
Talen nuclear deal (Pennsylvania)

colocation providers

Aligned Data Centers

Delta3 waterless cooling technology
100% renewable energy options
Patented efficient cooling
Hyperscale customers demanding renewables
Multiple campuses with renewable commitments

Digital Realty

Global renewable energy program
Customer-specific renewable procurement
Sustainability-linked financing
100% renewable goal by 2030
Supply chain decarbonization

Equinix

100% renewable energy achieved (2020)
Long-term renewable coverage goal
Global PPA portfolio
Climate-neutral operations
Customer collaboration on sustainability

economic impacts

renewable energy market transformation

Corporate Procurement

Datacenter operators among largest renewable energy buyers
Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta combined: tens of gigawatts
PPAs support project financing
Enables utility-scale development
Accelerates renewable deployment

Price Impacts

Large offtake agreements reduce risk
Improves project economics
Lowers renewable energy costs for all
Virtuous cycle: more deployment, lower costs, more deployment
Benefits extend beyond datacenter sector

local economic development

Rural Renewable Projects

Wind and solar farms often in rural areas
Economic development for agricultural communities
Lease payments to landowners
Tax revenue for local governments
Job creation during construction

Case Study: Google Kansas City

Beavertail Solar farm in former coal community
Economic transition from coal to renewables
400 MW solar capacity
Datacenter offtake enables project
Combined economic and environmental benefits

grid modernization

Transmission Investment

Renewable development drives transmission buildout
Benefits all electricity consumers
Grid resilience improvements
Interconnection enhancements
Long-term infrastructure upgrade

Battery Storage Deployment

Datacenter renewable commitments drive storage
Grid-scale batteries provide ancillary services
Frequency regulation, voltage support
Arbitrage opportunities
Enables higher renewable penetration

conclusion

Renewable energy integration represents the datacenter industry’s most significant sustainability transformation. With 37.4% of capacity already committed to renewable energy and adoption accelerating, the sector is driving unprecedented clean energy deployment. Leaders like Data City Texas (5,000 MW green hydrogen), Delta Gigasite (4,000 MW multi-resource), and Cloverleaf Infrastructure (3,500 MW low-carbon focus) demonstrate gigawatt-scale commitments reshaping power markets.

Regional success stories highlight diverse pathways: Oregon’s 100% adoption leveraging hydroelectric resources, Iowa’s 67% adoption riding wind energy leadership, and Wyoming’s carbon capture innovations. Technology innovations—from enhanced geothermal and small modular reactors to green hydrogen and grid-interactive computing—promise to solve intermittency challenges and achieve true 24/7 carbon-free energy.

Challenges remain: grid constraints, interconnection delays, cost considerations, and community opposition. Yet the industry’s trajectory is clear. Hyperscale operators Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon lead with multi-gigawatt PPA portfolios and additionality commitments. Federal incentives (ITC, PTC), state mandates, and corporate reporting requirements accelerate the transition. The economic impacts extend beyond datacenters: rural development, renewable market transformation, and grid modernization benefiting all electricity consumers.

As the datacenter sector continues its explosive growth, renewable energy integration will define competitive positioning, community acceptance, and long-term sustainability. The question is no longer whether datacenters will run on renewable energy, but how quickly the industry can achieve 24/7 carbon-free operations at scale.