Suphanat Khumsap/Getty Images
Modern data centers are placing immense strain on our power grids due to the significant amount of electricity needed to support intensive AI workloads. Energy resources are becoming scarcer, and scarcity leads to higher prices for consumers. This is part of why AI is making some people’s power bills go up, even if they don’t use it. However, AI data centers are doing more than just driving up utility prices–they are also pushing other industries to seek harmful electricity alternatives to make up the difference. One of the most dramatic recent examples comes from the shipping world.
At Portsmouth International Port, the U.K.’s largest municipal port, electricity costs have forced ships to change how they’re powered. Electricity expenses typically make up as much as 85% of the port’s total cost per shore-powered vessel, according to port director Mike Sellers (via Safety4Sea). Shore power refers to the method of powering a docked ship via the land-based power grid, but in this new era of higher grid costs, it’s become more practical for ships to generate their own electricity onboard.
The onboard generators for ships use diesel engines, and those run on oil-based marine fuels. These ship generators create exhaust that is a leading source of pollutants like sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. The more that ports continue to use diesel engines instead of shore power, the more they will increase the risk of health issues for people in coastal cities and cause further damage to the planet at large.
How ports could reduce pollution in the data center era
Travel mania/Shutterstock
Shipping companies and port authorities are businesses and thus need to take the most cost-effective courses of action if they want to continue operating efficiently. That’s why they’re choosing to use high-pollutant diesel engines instead of grid power, and that won’t change so long as prices remain where they are. The good news is that government action could incentivize maritime organizations to use cleaner energy once again. There is a precedent for this type of action in places like the U.S., where a data center bill could make energy bills go down.
Portsmouth International Port has already called on the U.K. government to remove Value Added Tax from the electricity supplied to ships via shore-power systems. Pushing for relevant policies is important in this new era where data centers have dramatically altered the state of supply and demand. However, it’s also necessary to continue innovating on new ways to reduce emissions and boost efficiency. One maritime battery breakthrough worth watching is a new type of electric freight ship from China that recharges with swappable battery containers.
It’s worth noting that port authorities have no desire to rely on fossil fuels. Portsmouth International Port stands by its goal to reach net zero emissions by 2035, and be emission-free by 2050. But those goals may prove unattainable so long as energy prices continue to rise, at least in part, because of the energy demands from data centers.