Get ready for more bill rises study warns data centers could hike power
costs in some states over 50% by 2030

Date:
Tue, 26 May 2026 22:05:00 +0000

Description:
US energy supplies, largely made up of natural gas and coal, are under
intense strain by data centers and other digital infrastructure.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Some states could see 57% price hikes in energy bills Virginia and Texas hit the hardest Digital infrastructure could account for one-fifth of energy demand by 2030 This
study points to a severe lack of wind and solar New research by Jeremiah X Johnson et al, published in Environmental Research Letters , has revealed
that in some of the most extreme regional cases, wholesale electricity costs could surge by up to 57% by the end of the decade in some US states.

The projection is based on historical trends and growth scenarios, and
reveals that Virginia and Texas could be hit the hardest due to a combination of intense data center development and limited renewable energy resources. Nationally, the US could face energy price hikes of between 6% and 29%, the paper claims, which would mark an unwelcome change from the stable energy prices that citizens have experienced over the past decade or so. Latest Videos From You may like AI boom triggers new battles over electricity infrastructure costs Data centers could cause $25 billion in environmental
and health damages, study finds The data center debate rumbles on - here are the numbers behind People Over Profit Data centers could push some states' energy bills up 57%, US up 29% While data centers are largely to blame for
the sharp rises in energy demands, the paper's authors criticize the US' current reliance on legacy fossil fuel infrastructure, which can be prone to variable costs.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East is proof of that, with citizens already facing higher gas prices at the pump.

The study, which runs a variety of models and highlights its influence by global fluctuations, reveals that digital instructor could account for as
much as 20% of US energy demand by 2030.

As much as 90% of the country's energy will come from natural gas (64% to
76%) and coal (12% to 14%) to meet data center infrastructure demand, highlighting a severe shortage of, and underinvestment in, renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro. Conversely, wind only accounts for 7% to 12% and solar 5% to 12%. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
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Costs aside, the researchers also warn that intense fossil fuel use could
push total US power sector CO2 emissions up by 28%.

It's broadly recognized that data centers are better placed in certain
regions than others due to environmental and infrastructural factors, like grid connection availability and cooling limitations, but the researchers imply that spreading campuses evenly across the country could go a long way
to eliminating regional price hikes at the cost of higher total emissions.

"Collectively, these results point to the importance of robust policy frameworks and diversified energy portfolios in managing the risks of rapid demand growth," the paper concludes. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/get-ready-for-more-bill-rises-study-warns-data-c enters-could-hike-power-costs-in-some-states-over-50-percent-by-2030


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