[Nasrudith]

>But alot of the new non-fossil energy production is now added to the existing energy mix, not replacing fossil fuels.

Do you know how replacement and phase out works in the real world? Hint, you don't just immediately install 100% new capacity and then rip out the still working old capacity.

[rsolva]

I know too little, that much is clear to me after I have started to look into this.

The situation may be somewhat unusual here in Norway, since basically all electricity is generated by hydro dams (~90%). We have made large strides the last two decades regarding energy savings (LED lighting, heat pumps and better insulation), and this has largely made it possible for us to transition rapidly from fossil cars to EVs while keeping our use of electricity quite stable.

What we are seeing now is a rapid expansion of mega datacenters that lays claim to extreme amount of electricity, more than these regions can steadily supply. This means that we need even more electricity on top of the hydro we have. This again means rapid expansion of solar parks and the destruction of vulnerable nature. Just the one Google datacenter now being built in my region will lay claim to ~5% of Norways energy use!

This worries me, and makes me doubt the "green" label on these projects.

[cj]

Hint, electric companies boast about building new green infrastructure when its sole purpose is to satisfy growing demand rather than reducing existing reliance on classical electric sources. Which is misleading to the average person. I think you and the GP would probably agree on this point.

[nasmorn]

In the US the share has grown from 12% in 2012 to 23% in 2022. You might still have issues with the speed of transformation but your facts are not right. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/us-electricity-energy...

[cj]

Whose/what facts? I’m not talking about the US and neither is the OP or GP.