Hyperscalers Find Low-Carbon Path to Power Data Centers

Hyperscalers are facing a challenge in building data centers that meet their power demands without compromising on emissions. While they have made public commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, natural gas remains one of the few energy sources that can be deployed at scale and speed over the next several years.

One practical pathway combines three elements: procuring lower-emissions natural gas, using power-efficient combined-cycle gas generation, and designing facilities to be carbon capture-ready. This can materially reduce carbon emissions over the lives of the power facilities without slowing deployment.

The first element addresses fugitive methane emissions throughout the natural gas supply chain. Methane is a 'super-pollutant' because it has far more warming impact than a comparable amount of carbon dioxide. A lower-emissions gas supply with a leakage rate of just 0.2% can reduce total plant lifecycle emissions by over 25% relative to using conventionally produced gas.

Combined-cycle plants produce significantly more electricity from each unit of fuel than simple-cycle turbines, reducing both fuel costs and emissions. Building in carbon capture capability is also crucial, as it can remove approximately 90% of the CO2 emissions associated with combustion.