Ireland’s economic growth in recent decades has been largely due to the onshoring of big tech companies. Now it seems the Irish Government is turning its back on this success story.
Ireland’s Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), their equivalent of OFGEM, has just published a new policy for dealing with new “large demand connection applications to the electricity system”. In practice, this means new data centres. Their policy document, which seems to have received little or no attention here, demands that new data centres must:
- Provide enough dispatchable generating capacity, such as gas power stations, to run the centre at full demand.
- Also provide enough extra renewable capacity to meet at least 80% of the centre’s electricity.
This extra capacity, both dispatchable and renewable, must be new generation. In other words, data centres cannot simply sign up for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which procure power already being produced. (Many companies already 'buy' wind power in this way, in order to claim they are 'green' – in practice, their electricity comes from the grid, just the same as everybody else’s. The PPA is no more than a paper transaction.)
The reason for this decision is that the new AI data centres being rolled out use lots of electricity. However, Ireland’s electricity grid is now so reliant on intermittent renewables, that it cannot cope with this extra demand. Since 2010, the mix of renewables in Ireland’s electricity has jumped from 11% to 43%. In the meantime, two coal plants, Moneypoint and Kilroot
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How much longer will the people of Ireland allow the globalists to destroy their country. 2026 is a make or break year. People of Ireland have had enough.
Looking at the National Grid Live site it doesn’t seem to mention electricity exported to Ireland, so it would seem our gas powered generators are working harder than mentioned or given credit for.
The obvious answer is for data centres and AI hubs to generate their own power on site but I see the Irish clowns have ruled that option out.
Would it not be cheaper to locate the AI centre in a country with cheap renewable energy such as Iceland? There is already a direct submarine cable to transfer data between the two countries.
No, because there is a limit to the power Iceland can generate and they are pretty much at the limit now. Strange as it might seem at first given their source is geothermal, but by extracting too much heat from the sources, the temperature differential can drop producing lower returns, and you start a spiral downwards if you crank up extraction more to compensate for the lower return. This already seems to happen with windmills where too many can sap the strength of the wind.
“where too many can sap the strength of the wind”
Can you provide any scientifc evidence of that please, I think we need good quality info in our armoury.
The other aspect not often spoke of is the location / legal jurisdiction is important, depending on what customers data is being stored there – remember the magic ‘cloud’ just means ‘someone else’s computer’… and these data centres are usually where that someone’s computers are.
GDPR is an example of legislation where physical storage location is important – there is data in EU for example that has to stay in the EU
Am I the only person who doesn’t GAF whether these data centres are built or not built?
What can they ever do for me (that I would choose to have done)?
There appears to be a project to install direct cable from France to Ireland, which would bypass the NESO system: https://www.rte-france.com/en/projects/celtic-interconnector-interconnection-between-france-ireland#Theproject Quite likely from nuclear sources then.
A semi related issue about AI was on a broadcast programme the other day, re what is happening in the state of Texas. Financially attractive, apparently, but some of the equipment appears to have some opposition from the locals on account of the industrial noise – mainly to do with air cooling etc. They don’t like things of that kind close to a farm, by the look of it.
“15% imported from Britain.”
Since Ireland did its level best to undermine Brexit, I’d stop that for a start.
In a nutshell:
”You must have sufficient totally reliable (I.e. gas) generation to meet 100% of your needs even at peak times. And IN ADDITION you must pay for ANOTHER 80% of capacity from renewable energy
As well, of course, as paying for the new distribution network to deal with the above
Is anyone still in any doubt about the stupidity of these policies, and of the culpability of the politicians and bureaucrats who are taking us for fools
Totally planned chaos, those at the very top know exactly what they are doing.
Correct. If we get 24 hr blackouts in our oh so enriched cities, there will be mass criminality and looting.
And the response they will advocate …. an authoritarian clampdown and mass surveillance of the whole population …. to keep us “safe” natch.
I disagree on the part that they know exactly what they are doing.
They know WHY they do what they do. Generally, because it’s personally and politically expedient for them to do so.
But they give very little thought to the consequences of their actions and so they don’t know WHAT they are doing.
How on earth does this stupendous idiocy persist in the minds of the power-mad globalist politicians? Gullibility? Lemming-like? Please let the power-cuts land in Downing Street first – and soon.
FG2TK will have his own diesel generators should power supply fail. Thank goodness, as we’d be lost as a nation without him.
As your parents always told you, “You can’t have your cake and eat it”.
This will create lots of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand renewable energy policy is a scam and many would like to see it fail once and for all.
On the other hand, AI is scary but relies on lots and lots of energy. Its insatiable demand for energy may be what ends up limiting it.
Hard to know what poison to pick, Net Zero energy policy or unconstrained AI.
It’s a tricky one for governments because they seem to like to push AI as an engine for economic growth and increased productivity because it sounds like a good story to people.
Balance that with the government record on backing things – now where can I buy a Delorean?
Never quite understood that – it’s likely to put many people out of work, and politicians love to talk about ‘creating’ jobs… I reckon it’s more likely down to it being the latest ‘shiny’ thing… and politicians, like magpies, like shiny things…
I guess they will seize on anything that sounds good
There will be unconstrained AI everywhere outside Europe.
Knowing Irish weather they’d do better to develop rain powered energy.