Google is turning on the gas for its data centers

Google’s latest pledge to enactment a caller cleanable vigor exertion is… a state project? To beryllium precise, it’s a gas-fired powerfulness works outfitted with filtering devices to seizure its planet-heating c emissions. Is this conscionable a polluting fossil substance task successful sheep’s clothing? 

Google conscionable inked an statement to enactment the improvement of a caller gas-fired powerfulness works successful Illinois called the Broadwing Energy Center. It’ll beryllium paired with carbon seizure and retention (CCS), exertion meant to filter c dioxide from smokestack emissions and past store it underground truthful that the greenhouse state doesn’t physique up successful the atmosphere.

In theory, that’s expected to assistance the satellite from heating beyond the constituent astatine which rising oversea levels render full coastal communities unlivable and water warming kills disconnected the world’s coral reefs, among different disasters brought connected by clime change. In reality, CCS is mired successful doubts astir its method and fiscal feasibility. There’s besides a steadfast magnitude of skepticism implicit whether CCS volition lone prolong dependence connected fossil fuels alternatively than encouraging a modulation to much sustainable sources of energy, similar star and upwind power.

Google says it has agreed to acquisition “most” of the powerfulness that the caller 400MW-capacity powerfulness works astatine Broadwing produces erstwhile it starts operating successful 2030. “Our extremity is to assistance bring promising caller CCS solutions to the marketplace portion learning and innovating quickly,” Google says successful its announcement today. 

So far, CCS has a beauteous checkered way grounds successful the US. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has burned done hundreds of millions of dollars connected failed CCS projects, according to a 2021 report by the Government Accountability Office. Of astir $684 cardinal spent connected CCS projects astatine six ember plants, lone 1 of them ever came online. The different projects suffered from “factors affecting their economical viability,” the GAO study says. 

The outgo of energy from powerfulness plants combined with c seizure is astatine slightest 1.5 to 2 times much expensive than that from solar, wind, oregon accepted ember and state powerfulness plants without CCS, according to a 2023 report based connected facilities successful Australia. Already, rising energy request from information centers person contributed to climbing inferior bills successful the US.

The azygous CCS task that moved forward successful the US with DOE enactment came online successful 2017 earlier shuttering for a fewer years starting successful 2020, erstwhile the covid-19 pandemic sent lipid prices crashing. Why was it truthful delicate to lipid prices erstwhile the works burned coal? The task supplied captured CO2 to an “enhanced lipid recovery” project, a process involving shooting the CO2 heavy into the crushed to unit retired hard-to-reach reserves, arsenic a means of staying financially viable.  

The task that Google is backing differs successful a mates cardinal ways. The works burns gas, which has go a cheaper mode to make powerfulness than than burning ember successful the US. And the CO2 volition beryllium sequestered a mile underground successful a good adjacent the powerfulness plant, alternatively than sold arsenic a merchandise for enhanced lipid recovery. Google claims Broadwing volition beryllium capable to permanently store astir 90 percent of the c dioxide emissions the works generates, a fig higher than galore different CCS projects person been capable to execute to date. 

That doesn’t relationship for different problems associated with gas-fired powerfulness plants. Even though the manufacture prefers the word “natural gas,” they chiefly pain methane, which is simply a greenhouse state adjacent much potent than c dioxide. Methane routinely leaks from lipid and state wells and pipelines, a occupation that simply capturing CO2 astatine a powerfulness works fails to solve. Gas plants besides nutrient other aerial pollutants that airs wellness risks to adjacent communities. 

Solar and onshore upwind vigor farms don’t travel with the aforesaid clime contamination problems and are typically cheaper to deploy than fossil fuel-fired powerfulness plants these days. Google has been 1 of the biggest firm purchasers of renewable vigor for years now, helping upwind and solar go the fastest-growing sources of caller energy generation.  

Google doesn’t notation that successful its announcement today, however, possibly reflecting the governmental tide turning against renewables successful the US nether the Trump administration. Donald Trump has installed fossil substance executives to pb the Department of Energy and other cardinal posts successful his medication portion clawing back antecedently allocated national funds for renewable vigor projects and issuing halt enactment orders to offshore upwind farms nether construction. 

Republicans are sunsetting taxation incentives for star and upwind projects, but not for CCS, incidentally. CCS has needed the fiscal enactment to assistance it get disconnected the ground, and present it has different backer successful Google. Google is trying to satiate energy-hungry information centers arsenic it scales up its AI ambitions, and its carbon footprint has grown successful the process.