This is something EVERYONE needs to pay attention to NOW:
“As the data center industry’s appetite for energy continues to grow, land with access to the massive amounts of power these facilities need has become scarce in major data center hubs like Northern Virginia and Silicon Valley. It’s a situation that is becoming increasingly dire, with demand for new data centers significantly outpacing the ability of regional utilities to make the infrastructure improvements needed to expand capacity.“
“We don’t have capacity and we can’t get it from the utility — that means we’re going to have to come up with alternate answers to that problem,” said Dean Nelson, CEO of Cato Digital, speaking at Bisnow’s DICE East event last week at The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons, Virginia.”
“Honestly, I don’t see another answer in the short term or mid-term for us to be able to solve that problem other than local generation,” Nelson added. “It’s suddenly feasible in multiple markets, including Northern Virginia.”
“…Few data centers are disconnecting from regional power grids entirely. Rather, campuses are using self-generated electricity to supplement energy from utilities or to pull themselves off the grid when it is being strained by excessive demand. This is a welcomed development for utilities struggling with maxed-out infrastructure, and that can mean better rates and improved connection times for data center developers trying to get to market fast.”
“You’re seeing utilities start to lock down on how much capacity they’re going to give you at a campus, and you’re seeing them come to the table and having discussions around what you’re willing to do from an on-site generation standpoint to mitigate peak loads [on power grids],” said Stuart Lawrence, vice president for product innovation and sustainability for Stream Data Centers, speaking at DICE East. “They’re saying what can you guys do to help us out when those kinds of conditions hit?”
Power Shortages Are Turning More Data Centers Into Their Own Utilities (bisnow.com)
Bisnow has finally published what Dominion Energy and the data center industry had been trying to keep quiet!
What DOES “local generation” mean in a power crisis fueled by the data centers’ need for power? There is no other currently available alternative – other than on-site diesel generators.
Remember citizens rising up in opposition to a waiver that the Virginia Dept of Environmental Quality had proposed to “allow” Data Centers throughout Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax permission to rely on their diesel generators for power, to relieve the stress on the electric grid during peak load times from March – July?
The Coalition absolutely remembers.
“Northern Virginia hosts the largest collection of data centers in the world. A recent report from the DEQ suggests that could put a strain on Virginia’s electric grid. The solution the DEQ proposed is to let the centers run their power generators more. Only problem is that could violate Virginia’s standards for air quality.“
Could Northern Virginia’s data center cause power problems? | wusa9.com
Consider the code maroon air quality alert we just had in the past week because of smoke from wildfires in Canda. Now imagine particulates from several thousand massive commercial diesel generators added to that hazardous air quality!
Maybe Prince William County should have a PSYCHEDELIC air quality code rating, for all the detached-from-reality decisions our Chair is making to approve data centers anywhere and everywhere – with no thought regarding the consequences.
Here is what we are warning about (and no, you are not tripping!)
This picture with the white truck is of just one of the Villages Technology Park data center buildings under construction. That parcel was intended to be a town center. Instead, it’s going to be 4 data center buildings – because of Ann Wheeler and her bullying leadership.
The pictures below show examples of the 100 ft tall 230kV transmission line required to provide power to this data center campus. These towers will run through neighborhoods every 300-600 feet.
The final picture below is a screen shot from a recent meeting with Dominion Energy of a possible route to feed the colossal power demands of Villages Tech Park, and also the 29/66 Technology Data Center complex now across the street.
We’re not only going to have data centers sprinkled throughout our communities – we’re going to have utility generation scattered throughout as well!
Do not let this power crisis become normalized. THIS IS NOT, AND MUST NOT BE NORMAL.
Given this emerging threat that we are facing to our power grid, it may be time to consider a Special Use Permit (SUP) required for data center approvals EVEN WITHIN the Data Center Overlay district.
What we are facing as a community, as a region, and as a state requires all hands-on deck. We must face this challenge together. We need leadership that protects the people over the powerful.
Fire Ann Wheeler. Show her that the “hidden” money flowing into her re-election campaign from dark PAC money is no match for real Democracy.
Early voting is in progress NOW through June 17th at the following locations:
- Haymarket – Gainesville Library: 14870 Lightner Road, Haymarket (14870 Lightner Rd)
- Board of Elections Office: 9250 Lee Avenue, Suite 1, Manassas (9250 Lee Ave)
- Ferlazzo Building: 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge (15941 Donald Curtis Dr)
Early voting hours are:
- Every weekday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
- Saturday, June 17th from 8:30 AM to 5 PM
Vote on Election Day (June 20th) at your regular polling place from 6 AM to 7 PM.
Remember to ask for a Democrat ballot and select Deshundra Jefferson!