Save Ohio Parks research says AI data center buildout can work – if it runs on renewable energy

A new study by Rachel Kutzley of Save Ohio Parks, titled "From Demand Drivers to Development Partners: Data Centers that Work for Ohioans," asserts that Ohio can leverage its data center buildout to expand its leadership in carbon-free energy manufacturing. Kutzley, a governing board member of the statewide nonprofit, states that meeting the energy demands of data centers necessitates a more flexible and decentralized electric system, requiring massive investment to modernize the grid sustainably. The study reveals that a decade of restrictions on wind and solar projects, including a 2014 wind-turbine setback law and Senate Bill 52 of 2021, has cost Ohio over 5.3 GW of generation capacity. American Electric Power (AEP) reported 5.6 GW of data center interconnection requests as of March 2026, a crunch that Kutzley argues would not exist if Ohio had developed its renewable energy potential. She emphasizes that if data center investment supports clean infrastructure and ethical AI uses, it can benefit all Ohioans; otherwise, reliance on fossil fuels will result in significant air pollution and health impacts. The report recommends a moratorium on data center approvals until comprehensive federal and state AI regulations are adopted, prohibiting non-disclosure agreements, and requiring public consultation in siting decisions. It also calls for data centers to meet 100% of their energy demand with solar, wind, and storage, and for tax benefits to be contingent on energy and water efficiency measures and public reporting. The study notes Ohio has over 200 data centers, with 137 concentrated in the Columbus region serving companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google, and 77 more planned by 2030. It critiques House Bill 15, signed in 2025, which allows data centers to fast-track state approval for major energy facilities, including fracked gas plants, often without public notice. An Amazon data center in Hilliard, powered by a large fracked-gas fuel cell, is cited as an example, projected to produce 1.45 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution daily near residential areas. Growing public opposition has already led to local moratoriums and a proposed statewide constitutional ballot initiative to ban data centers larger than 25 MW.