Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

In Pennsylvania, new data centers could require enough electricity to power 11 million homes.

By: Wangda Zuo, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 9, 2026

Words: 1,274

Last Updated: 16 hours, 40 minutes ago

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By Wangda Zuo, Penn State

The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its proximity to major East Coast cities, relatively affordable land and electricity, and legacy industrial infrastructure. For instance, …

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