China’s computer data centres and rapidly expanding 5G stations could use four times more electricity by 2035, putting Beijing’s carbon neutral goals under stress, a new report by environment group Greenpeace said on Friday.
Electricity use by data centres and 5G base stations in China will grow by an estimated 289% between 2020 and 2035, the report said.
The huge jump in power consumption would mean more carbon emissions as 61% of China’s electricity generation is from coal, the report added.
According to Greenpeace data, the combined electricity consumption by data centres and 5G base stations in China stood at more than 200 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2020. If current trends continue, this is expected to rise to 782 billion kWh by 2035, the group said, which means the sector will be one of the fastest growing sources of climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions.
This growth could be stopped if the Chinese government invests in clean energy.
“Explosive growth in digital infrastructure does not need to mean growth in emissions. Technology companies have the potential to catalyse real emissions reductions via investment in distributed renewables projects and direct purchase of wind and solar energy, among other strategies,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Ye Ruiqi said.
{{/usCountry}}“Explosive growth in digital infrastructure does not need to mean growth in emissions. Technology companies have the potential to catalyse real emissions reductions via investment in distributed renewables projects and direct purchase of wind and solar energy, among other strategies,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Ye Ruiqi said.
{{/usCountry}}Only two major data centre operators - Chindata Group and AtHub - have pledged to source all energy from renewable sources by 2030.
“But some of the industry’s biggest players, including Alibaba and GDS, have yet to issue 100% renewable energy or carbon neutrality commitments,” Ye said.
This could depress China’s ambitious climate plans.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to bring the country’s climate-warming emissions to a peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, committing the country to an accelerated transition to renewable energy.
The report, however, said that carbon emissions from China’s internet industry are projected to continue to rise through 2035, long after its targeted 2030 national emissions peak, creating complications for the country’s carbon neutrality commitments.
“By 2035, emissions from digital infrastructure in China are forecast to reach 310 million tonnes, more than three times (southern Chinese province) Guangzhou’s total carbon emissions in 2019. By contrast, sectors such as steel, non-ferrous metal, and cement are expected to peak emissions around 2025,” the report added.
The 5G sector too is one of the fastest growing sources of internet sector emissions in China. “Power consumption from 5G in China is on track to skyrocket 488% by 2035, reaching 297 billion kWh by 2035, roughly equivalent to (southwestern China’s) Sichuan’s total electricity consumption in 2020.”
“Internet companies in China must commit to achieve 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality across the supply chain by 2030. At the same time, policymakers can help enable this transition by mandating the use of 100% renewable energy and providing financial incentives for companies to shift to wind and solar,” Ye said.
“Digital technology should be a solution to the climate crisis, not a growing source of emissions,” Ye added.