Energy use is increasing in digital systems and data centers

Energy use in digital systems and data centers is increasing globally and in Sweden, a trend that is expected to continue in conjunction with the digitalization of society. The Swedish Energy Agency said in a new report that statistics, which can show the development in a good way, are not available and that new methods need to be developed.

On behalf of the government, the Energy Agency has conducted research on ways to monitor energy use in digitization and is now publishing the report Energy Use in Digital Systems, Data Centers and Cryptocurrencies – Preliminary Study of Current Status, Methods and Statistics to Follow the Evolution. Within the scope of the mission, RISE has prepared two primary reports dealing with energy use in data centers and cryptocurrency mining.

Digitization is important for the energy transition

The digitization of society and the energy system is an important piece of the puzzle for the energy transition that is now taking place in Sweden. It creates new opportunities for a more efficient and resilient energy system.

Digital infrastructure and digital systems, such as data centers and crypto mining (for mining cryptocurrency) consume a lot of electricity. RISE estimates that electricity use in data centers in Sweden is estimated at 2.8 – 3.2 TWh in 2022 (encryption not included). Electricity use for cryptocurrency mining alone is estimated to reach 1-1.5 TWh in 2022, which is about 1 percent of Sweden’s total electricity use.

The need for better statistics and knowledge

There is a great need to track the evolution of energy use for digital infrastructure, digital systems, and data centers. Energy use is spread across all sectors and the way energy statistics are collected needs to be developed.

It is impressive that different countries measure and track energy use in digitization in the same way. So we watch what happens at the EU level as we continue to work towards producing data center statistics. He says this report is the first step towards better statistics and knowledge Katharina NaslundAnalyst at the Swedish Energy Agency

In 2023, revised Energy Efficiency Directive will be specified with new reporting requirements for data centers. There will also be requirements in the EU Energy Statistics Regulation. Requirements that can provide guidance for the continued development of the method.

The entire report is available for download here!

Source: Swedish Energy Agency