Surrey researchers want satellite data written into energy and data centre planning rules

Satellite data could help governments decide where to build the data centres behind the growth of AI, by showing where renewable power, water and land are available and where drought and climate risks are highest, according to researchers at the University of Surrey.

Writing in Nature Reviews Clean Technology, the team argues that Earth observation - information about the planet's systems gathered largely by satellites - is often underused and should become a formal part of how governments, regulators and investors plan, run and check the clean energy transition.

The call comes as demand builds in the queue to connect to Britain's electricity grid. According to Ofgem, contracted demand in that queue rose from 41 gigawatts to 125 gigawatts between November 2024 and June 2025, driven largely by data centre projects.

Globally, the International Energy Agency expects electricity use by data centres to double from 485 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 950 terawatt-hours by 2030, roughly the amount of electricity Japan uses in a year.

The authors say geospatial and satellite data can support more strategic data centre planning by combining information on renewable energy potential, land-surface temperature, open water and groundwater availability, drought exposure, biodiversity, land-use constraints and climate-risk projections.

Dr Ana Andries, Senior Lecturer in GIS, Remote Sensing and Environmental Assessment at the University of Surrey and lead author of the Comment, said: "Every new data centre is a long-term decision about power, water and land, while also an increasing source of global carbon emissions. Satellites already give us detailed and regularly updated information on all three, yet that evidence is too often left out of the decisions that matter. We're asking governments to write it into the rules, so the infrastructure behind the AI boom goes where the grid, renewable energy potential and the landscape can support it."

The Comment also sets out how satellites and related geospatial data support planning, operation and monitoring. For planning, the Global Solar Atlas uses satellite data to map solar power potential worldwide, while MapYourGrid, an open-source community project, is mapping power lines, substations and power plants so planners can see where new generation can connect. Once infrastructure is running, thermal imaging from space could help identify faults such as hot spots on solar panels, while radar from Sentinel-1 satellites can map wind at the sea surface around offshore wind farms, including the slower air in the wakes the farms leave behind.

Water is one area where energy systems are exposed. This summer's drought pushed the Danube to record lows and forced Romania to shut down both reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear plant, which normally supplies about a fifth of the country's electricity. Climate data and satellite monitoring of river levels, reservoirs and drought can help estimate risks to hydropower and to power stations that rely on river water for cooling, and help protect a dispatchable electricity supply.

For accountability, some methane-sensing satellites detected releases as small as 0.03 tonnes per hour in single-blind controlled tests, though performance varied between systems. This gives regulators a way to check emissions from oil and gas infrastructure. Satellite imagery has also been used to map mining expansion linked to clean-energy supply chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The authors call on governments and regulators to require satellite evidence in renewable energy zoning, infrastructure permitting, climate-risk screening and environmental impact assessment, especially where projects affect land, water, biodiversity or grid access. Energy plans and regulatory reporting should also set out clear data standards, validation requirements and how uncertainty is reported. For investors and utilities, they argue, satellite data should become part of due diligence and asset-risk assessment. Satellite data should support these decisions, they add, not replace ground data, local knowledge or official reporting.

Delivering this will need capacity building, the authors say: energy ministries, regulators, utilities, local authorities and investors need trusted satellite products, practical guidance, standards, training and evidence that the approach is cost-effective.

Professor Ravi Silva, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey and co-author of the Comment, said: "Building a clean energy future requires thousands of decisions, from choosing locations for solar farms, wind turbines, transmission infrastructure and energy storage to ensuring these assets operate effectively over their lifetime. Better evidence helps make these decisions more efficient, cost-effective and reliable. Satellite data can help identify areas with strong solar and wind resources, map existing infrastructure, detect operational issues, and provide independent information to support monitoring and oversight."

CONTACT: Dalitso Njolinjo, University of Surrey, [email protected], [email protected]