KQED's Forum Why Your Energy Bill Has Gotten So Expensive (and What Can Be Done About It)
Jul 30, 2025
Costa Samaras, a professor and director at Carnegie Mellon, and Michael Wara, a Stanford sustainability policy expert, dive into the rising costs of energy bills across the U.S. They examine how factors like aging infrastructure and increased demand from data centers are skyrocketing prices. The duo also discusses California's unique challenges with electrification, wildfire resilience, and the push for renewable energy. Although concerns are raised, they also highlight strategies for improving energy efficiency and making the grid more sustainable.
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Data Centers Are Major Energy Users
- Data centers' electricity use has doubled recently and may reach up to 12% of total demand.
- Their rapid growth poses challenges for prices, emissions, water use, and pollution management.
Make Data Centers Grid-Responsive
- Manage data centers to balance grid stress by shifting computation across regions.
- Use backup power strategically to reduce peak electricity load impact.
Renewables Dominate New Capacity
- Solar, wind, and batteries comprise over 90% of newly added electrical capacity.
- Corporate climate goals motivate fast deployment of clean energy despite rising costs.