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When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

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Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#141

Post by BLanen »

malfist wrote: post #130
Animats wrote: post #19

This could work out. We need, for example, ultra-high-voltage DC lines from the US wind belt to areas with real loads. The US wind belt is roughly from the Texas panhandle north to Canada. Plenty of wind, no big power users. But nobody has been able to build lines west to California or east to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, where the loads are. This is held up by land acquisition, not technology. China has so…

Why DC lines? AC is by far the better technology for distance transmission.

That used to be the idea but high voltage DC lines are now more efficient than ac

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#142

Post by jmye »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #59
left-struck wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically I just thought the leukaemia claim is quite an extraordinary claim, which requires extraordinary evidence if you’re trying to convince a sensible person of your claim. I know a thing or two about rf, emf and electricity in general and I don’t see why or how these hv wires would cause cancer, or if they did why would it be specifically leukaemia. I’m fully aware though that before we knew about nuclear radia…

> I know a thing or two about rf, emf and electricity in general and I don’t see why or how these hv wires would cause cancer, or if they did why would it be specifically leukaemia. Probably the same theory for how a microwave cooks food. > I’ve also anecdotally noticed that people are concerned about many things where there is like very marginal evidence that maybe this is slightly bad for you but then regularly eng…

[dead]

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#143

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

A few alternative sources

https://fortune.com/2026/07/19/data-center-eminent-domain-pu...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/when-can-a-power-compan...

https://theaicronicle.com/en/news/policy/data-center-eminent...

Last one appears to be generated using AI, with no attribution to the original author

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#144

Post by hylaride »

Eufrat wrote: post #2

Are these AI-driven data centers actually getting built? I was reading about Kevin O’Leary’s initial proposal for his Utah data center and it’s just preposterous, it’s inconceivable anyone needs that much compute at any realistic demand level. The ask is so massively large that even the scaled down version is just absurd. We also have the Stargate UK data center that the Starmer government trumpeted before it was exp…

Kevin O’Leary is a grifter and he should be completely ignored. He literally got rich conning HP (though they were stupid for going ahead with it).

That being said, there is a lot of actual buildouts happening right now. The question is how much of the planned future capacity will actually get developed.

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#145

Post by wett »

9dev wrote: post #139
Aurornis wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Parent comment didn’t say anything about data centers. Getting power from the areas with high renewable energy density over to the population centers is a good goal to have.

So, you move into a new flat. In the living room, there's five sockets on the west side, but only one on the east side, and that's planned for a lamp already. Does it make more sense to a) put up your TV and gaming console on the east side, and have an electrician run another power line across the room (they can install five plugs there too so you can keep the lamp and even charge your phone, which is nice), or b) si…

I like your analogy so I will use it in my counter argument. I even have a personal example!

In my last place, there were no ethernet ports, and there was no shot that my landlord would install any. Coaxial wasn’t correctly wired up either. So my two options were to either move my setup into the kitchen, or to run an Ethernet cord up into my room.

I chose the second option to not monopolize the dining room table. It wasn’t pretty but my roommates were happier with some painters tape on the walls than my computer being in the kitchen.

I think a similar thing can be said for people who live in remote areas, it is about compromise. In this example it’s low internet speeds, traveling to get groceries if you live in a food desert, or paying more for utilities.

People prefer what they prefer. And if their preferences are worth their cost of the compromises, then they are going to go with their preferences.

It’s unreasonable to expect someone to move / abandon their preferences because they may not make sense to others on paper.

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#146

Post by voidnap »

wett wrote: post #145
9dev wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, you move into a new flat. In the living room, there's five sockets on the west side, but only one on the east side, and that's planned for a lamp already. Does it make more sense to a) put up your TV and gaming console on the east side, and have an electrician run another power line across the room (they can install five plugs there too so you can keep the lamp and even charge your phone, which is nice), or b) si…

I like your analogy so I will use it in my counter argument. I even have a personal example! In my last place, there were no ethernet ports, and there was no shot that my landlord would install any. Coaxial wasn’t correctly wired up either. So my two options were to either move my setup into the kitchen, or to run an Ethernet cord up into my room. I chose the second option to not monopolize the dining room table. It…

What an absolutely unnecessary analogy. The question is obviously more asking what is preferable about putting data centres in places where there is high competition with the population for power.

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#147

Post by il-b »

thrance wrote: post #39

Notice how when it comes to the interests of Capital, suddenly regulations or NIMBYs are rendered powerless. Building homes and infrastructure? Impossible. Building datacenters that will be obsolete in 4 years and abandoned just to fuel a speculation bubble? Yessir! Immediately, sir!

Indeed, suing “the Capital” is more costly and difficult.

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#148

Post by downrightmike »

drysine wrote: post #56
bob1029 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be even more nuanced, the land is not typically taken entirely. The more typical solution is an easement with compensation for the land owner to cover the reduction in utility. Transmission lines are pretty harmless when considering things that could be built instead. Zero emissions, silent, no illumination, etc.

What's the voltage of power lines to datacenters?

Lots. They are trying to build Gigawatt transmission to these

Re: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

#150

Post by vitally3643 »

9dev wrote: post #139
Aurornis wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Parent comment didn’t say anything about data centers. Getting power from the areas with high renewable energy density over to the population centers is a good goal to have.

So, you move into a new flat. In the living room, there's five sockets on the west side, but only one on the east side, and that's planned for a lamp already. Does it make more sense to a) put up your TV and gaming console on the east side, and have an electrician run another power line across the room (they can install five plugs there too so you can keep the lamp and even charge your phone, which is nice), or b) si…

Sure, we'll just pack up our glass and steel foundries and oil refineries and move them across the country. Should be cheap and easy.

The world is a lot more complicated than "datacenter bad". I don't think datacenters are a good justification for HVDC transmission. HVDC transmission justifies itself because even if you could magically transport the biggest consumers to where the power is generated, we still need to transport power all the way across the country. HVDC is the most efficient way to do that bar none.

The reality of the situation is that our power grid is a century out of date and needs an overhaul for the realities of renewable energy. Not installing HVDC transmission lines is simply not an option if we want the whole country to stop using local coal and gas plants.

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