Ashiss Dash’s Post

Incredibly encouraging news that provides a real beacon of hope for our planet: for the first time ever, global renewable energy generation has officially surpassed coal! (Source: The Guardian) This isn't just a milestone; it's a paradigm shift. This monumental achievement signals a tangible acceleration towards a sustainable future, impacting far more than just our power grids. Think about the implications: • Powering the Future of AI: As AI and data centers become increasingly central to innovation, their energy demands grow. This surge in clean energy means we can power the next generation of intelligence with a drastically reduced carbon footprint, moving towards truly sustainable digital transformation. • Cleaner Air & Healthier Oceans: Less coal means fewer emissions, leading directly to cleaner air for our communities and a significant reduction in ocean acidification and pollution. Our planet's vital ecosystems breathe a collective sigh of relief. • Unlocking Unlimited Potential: This momentum puts us firmly on the path to unlocking abundant, clean energy – a game-changer that can address so many of humanity's most pressing challenges, from fresh water scarcity to sustainable agriculture and beyond. This news underscores that a sustainable, technologically advanced future is not just a dream, but an achievable reality we are actively building. Let's keep this momentum going! #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #AI #CleanEnergy #DataCenters #ClimateAction #Innovation #FutureOfEnergy

Hey LinkedIn, I want to share a highlight from an exceptional debate I attended yesterday — “Securing Energy Security While Accelerating the Clean Transition” — which I first saw through Prof. Marie Münster's LinkedIn post (https://lnkd.in/d3burtrG). The discussion brought together inspiring voices across energy, AI, and policy: Prof. Marie Münster (Prof. at DTU; Danish Council on Climate Change) Lars Meyer (CO-CEO, NextWind) Karl Havard (AI Infrastructure) Lord Adair Turner (Energy Transitions Commission) Moderated by Stephen Sedgwick (CNBC) 🎥 Watch the full debate: https://lnkd.in/drTkzcwd 📄 Read my concise summary (PDF): https://lnkd.in/dtwTSGeU Key insights I noted: • Rapid renewable deployment is progressing — and must continue. • The new bottleneck is system flexibility: storage, demand-side response, transmission, and dispatchable backup. • Policy and market design must align investment with adequacy and resilience. • Near-term scaling favors renewables plus storage; digitalisation and demand flexibility can cut peak-driven grid costs. • AI is emerging as both a power consumer and a tool to manage flexibility and optimize grid operations. • Denmark’s modelling shows even extreme stress cases can be solved at very low cost with the right incentives. • Cross-border links and sector coupling improve both efficiency and energy security. This session perfectly captured how technological innovation, cooperation, and smart policy can work hand in hand for a resilient, low-carbon future. Definitely worth watching and reflecting on. #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #EnergySecurity #Flexibility #Storage #AI #Digitalisation #Policy #Resilience #Sustainability #Denmark #Innovation #Decarbonisation

🌍 The Climatebase Fellowship wrapped up our deep dive into the Energy Sector. The work ahead demands that we connect technology, politics, and ethics — all at once. Four short takeaways (with many more to add): 1️⃣ The Grid is a bottleneck. Our system wasn’t built for intermittent renewables, and reaching NetZero requires 15x more storage by 2030 than we have today. 2️⃣ Follow the money. Clean energy investment hit $1.8T in 2023 and is expected to exceed $2.2T by the end of 2025 — over double fossil fuel investments. In 2023 alone, China installed more solar than the U.S. has in its entire history. 3️⃣ Resilience requires agency. From the Global South’s demands for fair climate diplomacy to local community energy projects, real security comes from shared ownership and tracking. 4️⃣ AI and data centers are also a water story. Cooling towers at data centers lose up to 60% of their water to evaporation, reminding us that every technology shift has hidden resource costs. ⚡ The signal is clear: the transition is happening, but unevenly. The next decade comes down to scaling what works, upgrading our grids, and making sure the benefits reach everyone. #Energy #ClimateAction #Climatebase #AI #Renewables

🌍 _Fighting climate change_ through innovative technology is no longer a distant dream. Researchers at MIT, led by Priya Donti, are integrating _AI_ and _machine learning_ with renewable energy systems to optimize power grids. This approach aims to enhance energy efficiency while addressing the pressing challenges of climate change. The study reveals that leveraging AI in power grid management can significantly improve energy distribution, potentially leading to a reduction in carbon emissions. By optimizing system performance, organizations could see enhanced reliability and lower operational costs, translating into a more sustainable energy future. Key insights from the research include: 📊 Increased efficiency in energy management 🎯 Enhanced collaboration across sectors for better resource allocation 📈 Potential for substantial ROI through reduced energy waste What strategies can businesses adopt to leverage AI in their sustainability efforts? Read more: https://lnkd.in/gvBebbJv #AIStrategy #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #Innovation #Leadership

Climate tech is no longer just about decarbonization - it’s about resilience, energy security, and economic transformation. According to a new McKinsey Quarterly analysis, 80% of the emission reductions possible through scalable climate technologies also directly enhance energy security. That’s a powerful equation - one that links sustainability and independence in critical value chains. From renewable power to battery innovation, the world’s energy transition is now being driven by nine core technologies that can simultaneously: > Expand energy access > Strengthen energy security > Reduce emissions > Boost industrial competitiveness At Outfront Solutions, we’re working with a number of innovators who are shaping this new era - building solutions that don’t just reduce carbon, but redefine how industries grow and operate sustainably. The opportunity is immense, and the imperative is clear. Climate tech isn’t a niche anymore. It’s the next industrial revolution. 🔗 Read the full McKinsey Quarterly analysis: “What’s next for climate tech?” https://mck.co/4n5tUQZ #ClimateTech #EnergyTransition #Innovation #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #BrandTransformation #OutfrontSolutions #McKinseyQuarterly

This is an insightful piece from my Padilla colleague, Katie Padilla, PMP, about how businesses need to adapt their sustainability strategies, goals and communications to account for accelerating AI adoption. Definitely a hot topic. #PadillaProud

🇨🇦 𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛. Special thanks to Martin Siegert and the organisers for the opportunity to contribute to this inaugural report. Seven of the nine natural systems that keep Earth stable have already been pushed beyond their safe limits. The new 10 Emerging Technology Solutions for Planetary Health report from the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Frontiers, highlights ten breakthroughs that could help restore balance and build a more sustainable future. From cleaner ways to power our homes and cities to smarter ways to manage water and food, the report shows how innovation can help build a healthier planet and a more sustainable world. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gUqR8hYJ The MéridaLabs team has been working on linking renewable electricity to smart energy systems for more than ten years, and it is great to see that some of the emerging concepts are now being commercialized. #AMGFCC25 #PeoplePlanetProgress #V2G #energystorage Amanda Ellis, Martin Siegert, Stuart Brocklehurst, Dan Walker, Marie-Pierre Paquin, Mary Ryan, Peter Schlosser, Klaus Lackner Foro Económico Mundial

The growth of #AI is driving an unprecedented surge in #energy demand that clean power simply cannot meet fast enough. By 2030, global data centre electricity use will double to nearly 1,000 terawatt-hours, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). With clean power deployment lagging this runaway demand, the gap will be filled by fossil fuels. They could satisfy more than half of data centre energy through 2030, the IEA says, generating over 300 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Supercritical's Michelle You says scaling AI without blowing past climate commitments requires immediate, aggressive action: - Tech giants must invest heavily in #carbon removal today to neutralize unavoidable emissions. - Governments must provide clear rules, public procurement programmes and infrastructure for carbon removal. The future of AI and the #climate depends on leaders committing to scalable, measurable carbon mitigation strategies now. https://lnkd.in/esrkmnn2

The race to scale AI is reshaping industries, but it’s also amplifying a new kind of carbon debt. Each new model, data center, and computational layer carries an environmental cost. The challenge ahead isn’t to slow down innovation, but to rethink how it’s powered - making sure the intelligence we build doesn’t come at the planet’s expense. The future of AI must be not only smarter, but cleaner. #AI #Sustainability #Resilience #DigitalInnovation #FitForFuture

Earlier this year, Microsoft’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Melanie Nakagawa, wrote something that stuck with me: “The moon has gotten further away.” She was describing the company’s 2030 carbon-negative target, a reminder that even the most ambitious companies are struggling to keep up with AI’s runaway demand for energy and infrastructure. By 2030, global data center electricity use will double, growing way faster than clean power deployment. The result is a mounting carbon debt that every tech company will eventually have to pay down. In my latest for the World Economic Forum, I write about why hyperscalers are not just acting like big companies anymore. They’re operating at nation scale, reshaping global markets for electricity, materials, and carbon itself. It’s net-zero infrastructure. Microsoft has a head start on investing in the carbon removal infrastructure we’ll all need for net zero. To hit their 2030 and 2040 targets, the other hyperscalers will follow.