Study finds microgrids with wind, solar, and batteries can be built years sooner and at lower cost than SMRs

Renewable energy sources could power datacenters at a lower cost than relying on nuclear generation from small modular reactors (SMRs), claims a recently revealed study.

Renewables can meet 80 percent of the constant demand from a large datacenter over the course of a year

The current bit barn construction gold rush is driven by all the hype surrounding AI development, but it is causing concern over how to provide enough power for them all, on top of growing energy demand for other uses such as electric vehicles.

Datacenter operators have been eyeing up numerous options, including tapping nuclear power, while SMRs have been getting a lot of attention as they could be made small enough to provide on-site power for a bit barn campus.

But analysis from the Centre for Net Zero (CNZ) says it would cost 43 percent less to power a 120 MW data facility with renewables and ...