Data Center Energy Accountability Initiative
Protecting energy affordability and community health in the era of data center expansion.
The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States is reshaping our energy landscape.
Driven by growing demand for artificial intelligence, many proposed data centers require enormous amounts of electricity and expensive investments in new grid infrastructure. Decisions being made today will determine whether the rapid buildout of data centers will reinforce existing inequities through rising energy costs, increased fossil fuel dependence, and worsening pollution and grid reliability.
Without strong regulatory safeguards and proactive strategies to minimize potential harm and ensure community benefits, data center costs and risks will fall on households and businesses already struggling with high energy burdens, rising energy bills, and disproportionate health impacts from fossil fuel infrastructure. The Data Center Energy Accountability Initiative works to implement transparent, community-centered energy policies by advancing market and regulatory reforms to ensure that data centers pay their fair share and energy investments go toward solutions that lower energy burdens, reduce pollution, and increase community resilience, such as solar, battery storage, and efficiency measures in homes and community-serving institutions.
Photo: Phoebe Reese, Breathe Project.
Who We Serve
Clean Energy Group works with regulators, policymakers, advocates, and community groups to ensure that they have the tools and information needed to evaluate the impacts of large-scale data center development and to advance strategies that protect the public interest as electricity demand grows. CEG develops resources and advises state and local organizations about how proposed projects may affect electricity rates and local air quality and how innovative solutions like community-based virtual power plants can meet load growth while delivering meaningful, long-term benefits.
Project Impact
Collaborated with Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania and Clean Air Council to detail how rising energy demand from data centers is threatening to increase fossil fuel generation, raise energy costs, and worsen local air quality in Pennsylvania.
Convened advocates from Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to discuss strategies for establishing guardrails that protect local communities from some of the harm that data center development can bring.
Project Partners
Data Center Energy Accountability Initiative Webinars
Featured Publications
Meet Our Team
Photo Credits, top to bottom: Nikada/iStock; Hugo Kurk/iStock; Phoebe Reese/Breathe Project.