BEE calls for more renewables for AI expansion

28.10.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The increasing demand for electricity due to the expansion of data centers should be secured with an additional expansion of renewable energy, demands the renewables industry.

The planned ramp-up of artificial intelligence (AI) applications and the construction of new data centers are met with scepticism among the population. This is shown by a new survey by the organization Algorithmwatch. According to Ursula Heinen-Esser, President of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), this attitude is understandable, as the increasing energy requirements of digital infrastructure must be reconciled with climate protection.

"The International Energy Agency assumes that the electricity demand of data centers will double by 2030," said Heinen-Esser. In Germany, data centers already account for around four percent of total electricity consumption. According to calculations by the Federal Network Agency, this share could rise to ten percent by 2037. "Data centers are an important location factor, and AI offers great potential for speeding up processes and increasing productivity. However, climate targets must not be sacrificed for this," emphasized the BEE President.

Planning data centers to serve the system

The Algorithmwatch study calls for data centers to cover their energy requirements exclusively with additional renewable energy. This must be generated locally and consumption and generation must be coordinated. In addition, data centers should only be approved where renewable energy is available and the power grid can cope with it.

In addition, information on energy and water consumption and their origin as well as the carbon footprint of data centers should be publicly available and independently verifiable. According to Algorithmwatch, this applies both to forecasts at the time of planning and on the basis of actual values during operation.

Correctly forecasting power consumption

Heinen-Esser said: "Renewable energies are able to cover a significant increase in electricity demand at low cost. However, there must not be any slumps in the pace of expansion," she said.

The most recent monitoring report by the German government had forecast an electricity demand of between 600 and 700 billion kWh for 2030. However, according to an analysis by the BEE, this figure is likely to be too low. The association assumes that economic recovery and the increasing operation of data centers will cause demand to rise above the assumed corridor.

"It can be assumed that electricity demand will also increase beyond the corridor described in the monitoring report over the next five years," explained Heinen-Esser. "AI is making huge leaps in development. Its integration into more and more areas of everyday life will also lead to increasing electricity consumption by data centers."

In order to remain an attractive location for digital infrastructure, Germany must therefore plan ahead. Heinen-Esser called for sufficient buffers to be planned for future tenders and expansion paths. "Otherwise Germany risks falling behind. We need an honest analysis of electricity consumption that takes these developments into account."

The Algorithmwatch survey is available online.

Author: Susanne Harmsen