Would you object to a data center in your town?

[exitseven]

Many towns are putting moratoriums on building data centers. Where I live there are several industrial parks where there are businesses and manufacturing facilities and lots of room for expansion. I would have no problem locating a data center there.

Updates

1 mo

The biggest data centers do not use as much water as a golf course and you do not see people complaining about golf courses.
The modern data centers have closed cooling systems that do not use much water. They also have their own means of generating electricity.

[Lliam]

Absolutely. I think the purpose for data centers in the first place is extremely nefarious.

But the centers, themselves, emit constant noise pollution and air pollution. They suck up enormous amounts of clean water and pollute water. They use enormous amounts of electricity.

Higher Utility Bills: Upgrades to the power grid and the construction of new power plants to support heavy data center loads often result in higher monthly rates for local residential customers.

Grid Strain: Hyperscale and AI-focused facilities demand massive continuous power loads, which can trigger localized grid congestion and increase the risk of peak-time shortages.

Delayed Transition: Surging demand frequently forces utilities to keep older fossil fuel plants running longer or build new gas infrastructure, impacting local clean energy targets.

Water Usage and Environmental Effects
Direct On-Site Consumption: Large facilities utilize evaporative cooling systems that consume between 1 million and 5 million gallons of water per day—comparable to the usage of a mid-sized town.

Indirect Water Footprint: Generating the electricity needed to run and cool the servers requires significant off-site thermoelectric water use, often doubling the overall resource drain in water-stressed areas.

Higher Utility Bills: Upgrades to the power grid and the construction of new power plants to support heavy data center loads often result in higher monthly rates for local residential customers.

Grid Strain: Hyperscale and AI-focused facilities demand massive continuous power loads, which can trigger localized grid congestion and increase the risk of peak-time shortages.

Delayed Transition: Surging demand frequently forces utilities to keep older fossil fuel plants running longer or build new gas infrastructure, impacting local clean energy targets.

Water Usage and Environmental Effects
Direct On-Site Consumption: Large facilities utilize evaporative cooling systems that consume between 1 million and 5 million gallons of water per day—comparable to the usage of a mid-sized town.

Indirect Water Footprint: Generating the electricity needed to run and cool the servers requires significant off-site thermoelectric water use, often doubling the overall resource drain in water-stressed areas.

[OlderAndWiser]

My hometown has a population of 1,000,000+ and we have many data centers. What’s the big deal?

[exitseven]

Florida is always ahead of the curve,

[OlderAndWiser]

Thanks for MHO!

[midnightmoon05]

Don’t think we have a choice. They are coming if not here yet.
As long as it’s not too close to my property. I’m okay.

[AngryCarl3]

If enough people write their congressman it won't happen.

[EmmaMary]

It's probably already happened without our knowledge!

[robocop666]

no their too noisy, youd notice

[Chazmatazz269]

The construction would be noisy, but data centers themselves are audibly imperceptible unless there’s a power outage. The generators that they depend upon are enormous and quite loud.

[EmmaMary]

Right Guys... Thank you for that information, it's certainly worth noting.

[EmmaMary]

Thank you for the MHO.

[AviatorTom]

Many people in my neighborhood are against dara centers. They've drunk the Kool aid passed out by people who saw some of the early data centers that use too much electricity and water.

Data centers being built now are well designed, engineered, built and maintained, and I'm all for them. We all use datacenters every time we do a Google search.

[AngryCarl3]

We already have enough datacentres to run Google search. The new builds are for AI.

[AviatorTom]

@AngryCarl3 Gemini AI is what responds in a Google search.

[AngryCarl3]

Gemini AI is the top response. Under that you get the regular search results. This is how they try to con you that you need AI.

[exitseven]

@AviatorTom the voice of reason

[jshm2]

Depends. I've worked in and on a datacenter. Done right, it's not too bad,

The shitty American "datacenters" are nothing such and it's better to call them "computing garages" instead as they are poorly made and about as useful.

Hence why they need so many of them.

[browsingthroughthe]

@exitseven Hand over heart as I type this, not in the slightest objection 😈👍🏻

[DryGermanGuy]

Not necessarily, then again in Europe we don't get fucked over with higher utilities costs like the people in your "consumer paradise".

[DryGermanGuy]

https://youtu.be/y72SiRzcCLk?si=NgAoiZu2H3Cuj4yb

[TrueConfection]

We don’t have space for one in our town. If we did have the open space that construction of a data center requires, I wouldn’t be opposed to it as long as it matches aesthetically.

[NathanDavis]

this region would be about the worst place ever to bring one of those facilities... it would be stupid if they tried

[AngryCarl3]

That depends on the size and how close it is. Data centres exist already but some of the new builds are crazy. Many of them can't be supported by existing infrastructure.

[DishLady]

I’m sure there are already a few… I wasn’t consulted.

[Chazmatazz269]

I have no objections. Nothing but job opportunities as far as i can see.

[Anonymous]

There's a whole complex of data centers in my town and have been for about 20 years now. So what's one more.

[canamlusciouslad73]

I'd have to study its effects on Windsorites at large.

[jahaims]

Duh.