Data centers and energy
⚡ Data Centers in Your Community: Power, Water, Land, Money
Size up a proposed data center the way a careful resident or advocate would: what it means for the grid, water, land, taxes and jobs, how to find out who is behind it, and what the strongest case on each side rests on.
- 1How Much Electricity a Data Center UsesRead the national numbers on data center electricity, turn a campus's megawatts into homes-equivalent with the math shown, and spot the tricks in load forecasts.16 min
- 2The Grid Side: Queues, Tariffs and Who PaysFollow a data center through the utility process, from interconnection request to large-load tariff, and learn how regulators in Ohio, Virginia, Texas and Idaho are deciding who pays for new lines and plants.18 min
- 3Water: Cooling, Aquifers and Reclaimed SupplyLearn how data centers use water, convert water-use effectiveness into gallons for a real campus, and check company and agency claims against reported examples.17 min
- 4Land, Noise, Diesel Generators, Light and TrafficSize up the physical footprint of a campus: acreage, the hum, backup diesel generators and their air permits, night lighting and construction traffic.16 min
- 5Taxes and Incentives: Who Gives Up WhatRead the sales tax exemptions, property tax abatements and payment-in-lieu deals offered to data centers, compare states, and weigh the studies on net fiscal impact.18 min
- 6Jobs: Construction Crews and Permanent StaffSeparate construction jobs from permanent jobs, compute the incentive cost per job, and test the job numbers developers and studies put forward.15 min
- 7Secrecy and Process: Who Is Behind It and How to Find OutUnderstand NDAs, code names and LLC shells, then trace a project through business filings, land records, planning and zoning, utility dockets, air permits and public records requests.18 min
- 8The Case For and the Case AgainstLay out the strongest evidence-based argument for hosting a data center and the strongest against, and see how to describe the dispute without stacking the deck.16 min
- 9Case Study: Following Project Falcon from Rumor to HearingFollow an invented data center proposal from first rumor to public hearing, step by step, with the records, math and questions a resident or advocate needs.22 min