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Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

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Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#371

Post by techbrah9000 »

chasd00 wrote: post #338
throwaway2037 wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I never see pushback about: Northern Virginia has the highest density of data centers in the United States. Google tells me there are over 600 data centers in Virginia (that is nuts!). This build-out has been happening for more than 25 years. Until very recently, I have not heard any pushback from people in that area. What am I missing?

> What am I missing? nation states trying to slow progress. I was pretty perplexed as well, now we're concerned about data centers? They're everywhere already. Oh wait, it's a FUD campaign sewn by competing nations using social media so they can, hopefully, catch up. That makes a lot more sense. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/business/china-russia-ai-...

Of course that's exactly what a US propaganda mill would say

Just as complicit in obfuscation of reality through quantity of time spent in a topic: https://ourworldindata.org/does-the-news-reflect-what-we-die...

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#372

Post by whimsicalism »

kennywinker wrote: post #357
whimsicalism wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"i can't eat a cargo container so it's useless" -guy who can only see one level up the chain of abstractions that allow him to fill his belly.

Please, elaborate on how hyperscale ai datacenters are going to help fill my belly.

maybe i'm working on software for supply chain routing. maybe i'm making a commodity trading bot that more accurately prices wheat futures. AI helps with both of those things.

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#373

Post by testerteert000a »

whimsicalism wrote: post #322
ArcHound wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turns out people have quite strong feelings about career -ruining and planet-burning tech advances. I think it's good that there are topics that elicit emotional responses. It does make the discussion a bit difficult, gotta admit that.

I do not believe for one instance that people are coming from a legitimate concern around planet-burning and reaching their conclusions about AI vs. reasoning backwards from wanting reasons to be anti-AI. Very few people I've met seems willing to make one iota of earnest personal sacrifice for avoiding actual in-real-life planet-burning industries. Actively pisses me off hearing climate rationale for opposing somethi…

You must not live in a planet-burned spot yet. But, direct experience shouldn't be the only way to build empathy for viewpoints that aren't yours.

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#374

Post by testerteert000a »

atleastoptimal wrote: post #25

The whole data center heat/water thing is like not even in the top 100 risks/issues related to AI, but it's all people seem to care about. Why is that?

Because "the water thing" is make or break for for the southwest, which includes LA, and LA's water system includes NorCal consequences, and California water issues include all-country impacts due to the farming there.

If you haven't been paying attention to the "water thing," that doesn't mean it's not serious af.

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#375

Post by margalabargala »

whimsicalism wrote: post #311
adamsb6 wrote: post #267

Something smells wrong. You could dump a gigawatt into resistive heating and not see such temperature rises so far away.

where there is a demand for results, academia will meet the supply

Right, yes, if people want something studied, grants usually are made available to study it.

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#377

Post by chasd00 »

Forgeties79 wrote: post #208
dwoldrich wrote: post #35

I cannot figure out if this data center panic is legit or trumped up. There are legitimate nation-state and political entities that would love to create pressure for degrowth in this area. And, pollution and natural resources are a concern, yes, fine, sure. NIMBY happens, I get it ... *BUT*, we've been building huge data centers for decades and they are minuscule compared to the size of the earth. My skeptic meter ma…

Honestly the fact that someone as “business friendly” as Abbott in Texas is halting construction is alarming to me. Nothing stops businesses in Texas, let alone the government.

The Texas grid is largely independent of the national grid. Abbott wants an audit to ensure data center plans comply with the rules. "Any project that fails to comply with the requirements set forth by the PUCT and ERCOT, and by state law, must be denied connection to the Texas grid. Simply put, Texans must come first."

It's not a pro or anti business stance it's just a deal-is-a-deal stance.

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-directs-comp...

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#378

Post by margalabargala »

adamsb6 wrote: post #267

Something smells wrong. You could dump a gigawatt into resistive heating and not see such temperature rises so far away.

That's surprising to me. You think a gigawatt of heat cannot be felt 500 meters downwind? How near before you experience the temperature rise in the article, if not that?

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#379

Post by pnw »

duped wrote: post #100
pnw wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neither did the data centers. Datacenters use less than 5% of US electricity. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.19777

Data centers directly led to my rates increasing over the last ~6 months where several came online locally without supply increasing. Natural gas prices also impacted it, but the data center buildout over the last year has not helped. That article is two years out of date, and looking at nationwide electricity usage doesn't account for the local impacts of these data centers. (* nb4 "it's summer": talking about price…

Which power utility do you use?

Re: Field measurements of neighborhood-scale air temperature impacts of data centers

#380

Post by duplessitous »

Groxx wrote: post #353
duplessitous wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but what is this comment if not a plea for someone else to do something? No one can live your ideals for you, if you think something should be done, you should do it, and quickly at that. If it is that urgent, why are you not doing anything?

You've been complaining that people blocking datacenters (which is partly succeeding) is worse than fixing the EPA. Something is being done, urgently (vastly faster than the larger legal system), and public outrage is loud and annoying and widely visible, which is indeed what I want. Beyond that it isn't especially fair to say "if you like to eat, why haven't you solved world hunger", particularly when those EPA/zoni…

No one has ever complained about people blocking data centers. Just over the top bad-faith to even type that out, this will be our final back and forth.

My points have consistently been (1) lying is the quickest way to make an issue divisive as they focus on the lies and not the cause and that (2) that you cannot trust members of the general public to undertake radical actions nor can you sit by and egg them on to achieve your goals for you.

Data centers are coming up left and right and no violent uprising has stopped them from being built. What has slowed them down in certain communities are those communities coming together, organizing, and making themselves heard via political action. Which is the avenue I am advocating for here in this conversation with you.

You are here discussing how someone must do something and how it needs to be done urgently because it is so pressing. No one challenged you to solve it. Equating any call to action, especially for an issue that you yourself declare urgent, to solving world hunger is an immediate end to this conversation. If you cannot take your own views seriously, neither can I. No one is going to take care of the bothersome priest for you as living out your ideals is your problem, not theirs.

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