Why should data center hubs, like NoVA, carry a disproportionate local burden for AI, a global service?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much of a good thing is a horrible thing when it comes to data centers.

What is the horrible thing?

They are using a ton of electricity and worsening climate change in a time when the grid hasn't been adapted to be sustainable yet. Also, they are forcing many people to use AI and participate in this worsening of our environment without our consent.

No one is forcing you to use AI or computer systems. If that was actually your concern, why are you on dcum right now? Rules are for thee?

What's your real reason? It's an anonymous forum- I don't see why you can't just have honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently visited Harper’s Ferry and drove from there back through Loudoun County to Dulles. North-western Loudoun County has (or had), for my money, some of the most beautiful countryside in the region, but it is apparently disappearing amidst an onslaught of cookie cutter subdivisions, presumably to house those working at the nearby data centers. I’d love to see a breakdown of employees of the data centers as - per the dynamics of the demographics of Loudoun County - I’d wager that they are overwhelmingly H-1Bs etc.. If so, I think there are valid questions to be raised about who this “development” is benefiting.

It’s mostly to house people working in Fairfax and Arlington, which haven’t built enough housing for the number of jobs they’ve created.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

The AI bubble is going to be propped up by the Trump Administration, whether we like it or not. Get used to having higher utility bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not put the data centers in places where they can be powered by electricity from renewable sources (e.g. Texas wind and solar, geothermal in Iceland, etc.)? Also, why don’t utilities charge the companies a high rate, rather than passing it on to regional consumers?

There seem to be no plans to run them on renewable sources. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment. Instead more and more enormous power lines are being planned to send power from coal plants in West Virginia to Loudoun. There's currently a lot of controversy about one set of proposed lines that could run through Ashburn, right through neighborhoods and near schools:

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/hundreds-turnout-to-push-for-underground-power-lines-at-scc-hearing/article_2e3f11f2-63b1-41d9-a692-f902645a8b53.html

I've also heard stories about the possibility of on-site nuclear power sources, which sounds terrible to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much of a good thing is a horrible thing when it comes to data centers.

What is the horrible thing?

Air pollution for one. All of these data centers require large generator back-ups that run on diesel and have to be tested routinely. When they are tested they emit all sorts of bad stuff into the air (in addition to a lot of noise).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much of a good thing is a horrible thing when it comes to data centers.

What is the horrible thing?

Air pollution for one. All of these data centers require large generator back-ups that run on diesel and have to be tested routinely. When they are tested they emit all sorts of bad stuff into the air (in addition to a lot of noise).

Modern diesel engines run pretty clean since they removed sulfur from the fuel. Routine testing isn't the huge issue you think it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put the data centers in places where they can be powered by electricity from renewable sources (e.g. Texas wind and solar, geothermal in Iceland, etc.)? Also, why don’t utilities charge the companies a high rate, rather than passing it on to regional consumers?

There seem to be no plans to run them on renewable sources. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment. Instead more and more enormous power lines are being planned to send power from coal plants in West Virginia to Loudoun. There's currently a lot of controversy about one set of proposed lines that could run through Ashburn, right through neighborhoods and near schools:

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/hundreds-turnout-to-push-for-underground-power-lines-at-scc-hearing/article_2e3f11f2-63b1-41d9-a692-f902645a8b53.html

I've also heard stories about the possibility of on-site nuclear power sources, which sounds terrible to me.

Ah, I see the health concern nutjobs are out in force.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/extremely-low-frequency-radiation.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put the data centers in places where they can be powered by electricity from renewable sources (e.g. Texas wind and solar, geothermal in Iceland, etc.)? Also, why don’t utilities charge the companies a high rate, rather than passing it on to regional consumers?

There seem to be no plans to run them on renewable sources. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment. Instead more and more enormous power lines are being planned to send power from coal plants in West Virginia to Loudoun. There's currently a lot of controversy about one set of proposed lines that could run through Ashburn, right through neighborhoods and near schools:

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/hundreds-turnout-to-push-for-underground-power-lines-at-scc-hearing/article_2e3f11f2-63b1-41d9-a692-f902645a8b53.html

I've also heard stories about the possibility of on-site nuclear power sources, which sounds terrible to me.

Ah, I see the health concern nutjobs are out in force.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/extremely-low-frequency-radiation.html

People are “nut jobs” for being upset that 185 ft massive transmission lines could be built within 50-500 feet of their homes, as well as near schools, because data centers have driven up power demand? The visual impact alone is enough to concern most people, let alone the possible safety and health and issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put the data centers in places where they can be powered by electricity from renewable sources (e.g. Texas wind and solar, geothermal in Iceland, etc.)? Also, why don’t utilities charge the companies a high rate, rather than passing it on to regional consumers?

There seem to be no plans to run them on renewable sources. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment. Instead more and more enormous power lines are being planned to send power from coal plants in West Virginia to Loudoun. There's currently a lot of controversy about one set of proposed lines that could run through Ashburn, right through neighborhoods and near schools:

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/hundreds-turnout-to-push-for-underground-power-lines-at-scc-hearing/article_2e3f11f2-63b1-41d9-a692-f902645a8b53.html

I've also heard stories about the possibility of on-site nuclear power sources, which sounds terrible to me.

Ah, I see the health concern nutjobs are out in force.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/extremely-low-frequency-radiation.html

People are “nut jobs” for being upset that 185 ft massive transmission lines could be built within 50-500 feet of their homes, as well as near schools, because data centers have driven up power demand? The visual impact alone is enough to concern most people, let alone the possible safety and health and issues.

How else is the electricity supposed to be transmitted? Even a small nuclear reactor would need transmission lines to feed excess energy back into the grid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put the data centers in places where they can be powered by electricity from renewable sources (e.g. Texas wind and solar, geothermal in Iceland, etc.)? Also, why don’t utilities charge the companies a high rate, rather than passing it on to regional consumers?

There seem to be no plans to run them on renewable sources. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment. Instead more and more enormous power lines are being planned to send power from coal plants in West Virginia to Loudoun. There's currently a lot of controversy about one set of proposed lines that could run through Ashburn, right through neighborhoods and near schools:

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/hundreds-turnout-to-push-for-underground-power-lines-at-scc-hearing/article_2e3f11f2-63b1-41d9-a692-f902645a8b53.html

I've also heard stories about the possibility of on-site nuclear power sources, which sounds terrible to me.

Ah, I see the health concern nutjobs are out in force.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/extremely-low-frequency-radiation.html

People are “nut jobs” for being upset that 185 ft massive transmission lines could be built within 50-500 feet of their homes, as well as near schools, because data centers have driven up power demand? The visual impact alone is enough to concern most people, let alone the possible safety and health and issues.

There are no health and safety issues. That's a strawman argument. Further, what view do these people already have? One proposed path, the preferred one, uses an existing transmission line path. Power lines aren't falling out of the sky like airplanes.

[Anonymous]

Serious question for any engineers out there… can data centers be built underground? I realize the cost would be exponentially higher, but the lower temps could help make up for the higher upfront costs. Just spitballing here. I’m sure there are a million reasons. Anybody know?

[Anonymous]

Why? I'm sure you could, but it wouldn't be economical. If land got expensive enough to justify that, they'd just build them further out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AI bubble is going to be propped up by the Trump Administration, whether we like it or not. Get used to having higher utility bills.

Were you also against the Biden EV mandate and Democratic bans on gas appliances? These were having the same effect.