How data centers are compatible with the energy transition

24.09.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The Öko-Institut proposes minimum standards for a sustainable national data center strategy. The guiding principles should be: energy efficiency and citizen participation.

The proposals are on the table, but it remains to be seen how they will be implemented. The Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization collected technical comments and suggestions on the planned national data centre strategy until 20 September. The Öko-Institut used the consultation to compile minimum standards for the sustainability of data centers for policymakers. The research institute advocates clear guidelines on energy efficiency, the use of renewable energies and citizen participation.

The electricity demand of German data centers is already around 26 billion kWh per year. According to forecasts, this figure could double by 2030, according to the institute. Added to this are high water consumption for cooling and the risk of rising greenhouse gas emissions due to the increased use of fossil fuels. "Data centers must not become a burden on the climate and society," says Jens Gröger, Research Coordinator for Sustainable Digital Infrastructures at the Öko-Institut. The electricity for computing giants should come exclusively from renewable energies, he emphasizes. And the waste heat from the systems should be used for the heat transition. It is also important to flexibly manage energy requirements with regard to grid stability.

Flexibly align electricity consumption with grid capacities

The Öko-Institut sees public participation as an effective means of promoting acceptance of power guzzlers among the population: "Local authorities should involve the people in the region at an early stage and thus give them the opportunity to help decide on the pros and cons. In this way, burdens are not simply shifted, but solutions are sought together that are viable for local people," recommends the Institute.

The organization sees the following as minimum standards for sustainability:

• Data centers may only be built in locations that meet ecological criteria
• Use of the most efficient technology
• Regular publication of electricity consumption and efficiency figures
• Covering electricity requirements with green electricity generated at the same time
• Operators invest in renewable energies and grids without passing on the costs to the general public
• Data centers adjust their consumption to the supply in the power grid and thus support grid stability
• Waste heat is fed as fully as possible into local heating networks and replaces fossil heating systems

The recommendations are available on the Öko-Institut website: "Feedback on the consultation process of the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization"

Author: Manfred Fischer