New emission standards could come for data centers and crypto currency miners with federal legislation filed recently by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN9).
A 2023 congressional study found that data center energy use alone in 2023 (not accounting for cryptocurrency) was approximately 176 terawatt-hours (TWh). That was about 4.4 percent of U.S. annual electricity consumption that year, according to a report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
That report said data center energy consumption could double or triple by 2028, accounting for up to 12 percent of U.S. electricity use.
Power usage by cryptominers is not known. Attempts to collect information on the cryptomining industry in the U.S. have been stymied by companies, according to the congressional report.
Cohen and several other lawmakers filed the “Clean Cloud Act.” It would establish an air emissions baseline for these high-demand energy users. The law would require a new annual report showing all of the country’s data centers and crypto mines.
It would incentivize clean power development, and invest in zero-carbon electricity and battery storage. Finally, the Clean Cloud Act would make that new power available to residential customers through affordability programs.
“Memphis already hosts significant data-center and data-processing operations, and more companies are looking to the Mid-South because of our strategic location,” Cohen said in a statement. “But Memphis is one of the most energy-burdened cities in America where families spend a larger share of their income on utilities than almost anywhere in the country.
“We cannot allow high-demand industries to increase pressure on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s system or lead to higher bills for Memphis households.”