08
Great Lakes: Opportunities and Obstacles in Data Centers in Renewable Energy Mix
MAY 2024
in collaboration with Ramboll
read our full report here.
Our project aims to assess the Great Lakes region—specifically Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois—as potential locations for data centers, focusing on the unique combination of opportunities and challenges that renewable energy integration presents for data center operations. The region boasts a diverse array of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, which are conducive to sustainable data center development. A major advantage is the region's ample fresh water supply, crucial for the water-intensive cooling processes of data centers. However, the region also faces substantial challenges, including regulatory constraints, extreme weather conditions, and grid stability issues. Our research will explore these factors in depth, with the goal of determining the Great Lakes region's suitability for hosting efficient and environmentally friendly data centers powered by renewable energy.