The forecasts were there, Spain has managed to produce more solar energy before the end of the year. This result is due to the enormous renewable capacity that exists and more and more energy is wasted due to not knowing where to store the surplus. However, a consulting firm has considered that this can be reversed and turn the Iberian Peninsula into a favorable area to encourage data centers in Europe.
A data center hub. A new report has analyzed the enormous potential of data centers in the Iberian Peninsula and its impact on energy demand.
The consulting firm Aurora Energy Research has detailed in a report that data centers consume approximately 2.8 TWh of electricity, which represents 1% of the global market, but they expect to reach 12.8 TWh by 2030.
Factors. The Iberian Peninsula has a very important factor for this situation and it is the surplus of energy, which makes it possible to take advantage of the excess energy to supply the data centers. In fact, in Spain, excess energy was being wasted or stored by electricity companies in swamps.
The report has explained that the installation of infrastructure is more economical because due to the abundance of renewable energy, electricity has lower prices. Also, they have detailed the strategic location of the peninsula with respect to America and Africa, and the availability of large-scale land. Finally, improvements in the energy efficiency of data centers, which require less energy for cooling.
The expansion. Data centers, according to the consultancy, have found in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Sines, the impetus to grow and continue developing. However, there are two very specific areas such as Sines in Portugal and Aragón in Spain, which will take advantage of the availability of territory with large-scale projects of 1.2 GW and 1.8 GW, respectively.
Zaragoza, a data center hub. In the autonomous community of Aragón there is a large investment dedicated to data centers. Large companies have found Zaragoza an ideal location to promote their projects due to the advantages it offers in terms of infrastructure and environment. For example, the company Blackstone has invested 7.5 billion euros in the construction of a data center, while, as confirmed by the Herald, Meta has decided to establish its second data center in Spain.
Furthermore, the surplus of renewable energy in Aragon, derived from its high production, reinforces the region’s strategy to become a hub for data centers. This new panorama opens up the possibility of taking advantage of surplus energy from clean sources and not having to depend on other sources such as nuclear.
Image | Pixabay
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