Data Centers & Clean Energy
The AI buildout is the largest new source of US electricity demand in a generation — and the collision between data centers, clean energy procurement, and local opposition is reshaping the grid. This page tracks the numbers, the deals, and the counties saying no.
How much electricity will US data centers use by 2030?
The US Energy Information Administration projects data centers could account for about 12% of total US electricity demand by 2030. In 2025, utilities received data center interconnection requests totaling more than 700 GW — more than the entire country's peak consumption. That demand is a primary driver of new solar, storage, and nuclear procurement.
Sources: EIA, Today in Energy; CNBC on 2025 interconnection requests. Figures last verified July 23, 2026.
How are data centers buying clean energy?
The four biggest buyers — Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta — hold a combined 84 GW of clean energy under power purchase agreements, roughly 99% of tracked large-scale corporate PPAs among non-utility US businesses (S&P Global). Recent deals span solar, multi-gigawatt nuclear procurement, and direct acquisitions of renewable developers.
Source: S&P Global corporate PPA leaderboard. Our analysis of the behind-the-meter strategy: Power Hungry.
Which counties have data center moratoriums?
CleanPowerDaily's Opposition Tracker records 21 county or state actions restricting data center development across 15 states — moratoriums, permit denials, and zoning restrictions, each linked to its source. The count updates weekly as local coverage is verified.
- New York (3)
- Colorado (2)
- Kansas (2)
- Maryland (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- California (1)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Texas (1)
Full records with sources: moratoriums by state · Opposition Tracker.
Our Data Center Reporting
- The Great Irony of America's Energy Siting Wars: Data Centers Want the Power That Communities Won't Let Be Built
- Power Hungry: How Data Centers Are Building Their Own Clean Energy Empires
- New York Could Become the First State to Freeze Data Centers. Its Own Governor Might Not Let It.
- What Data Centers Could Learn From Solar's Hardest Fights
Latest Data Center Energy News
Headlines update throughout the day. See the full daily briefing.
Statistics on this page are free to cite with attribution to the named primary source and, for moratorium counts, CleanPowerDaily's Opposition Tracker.