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AI data centers climate shot themselves in their bytes.

Tom D

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Some artificial intelligence (AI) data centers are vacant in California because the local utility cannot provide the electricity required to operate them, according to Bloomberg.

Although developers in Santa Clara, California, have completed shells of data center projects, the facilities remain empty and unpowered because the city-owned utility Silicon Valley Power (SVP) cannot supply enough electricity to meet their energy demands, Bloomberg reported. California imports the second-largest amount of electricity of any state, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), and has been phasing out reliable power sources like coal as it pursues a rapid green energy transition.

Big Tech pledged to meet emissions goals similar to California’s aggressive climate targets in a move that James Taylor, President of the Heartland Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation has left the industry grappling with an inadequate and unreliable power system.

“The same tech industry that now bemoans a lack of available and reliable power is the same tech industry that for the past 20 years teamed with climate activists to prematurely retire coal power plants and block new natural gas power plants,” Taylor told the DCNF. “American consumers were punished with rapidly increasing electricity prices as a result. Now Big Tech is stuck with an inadequate, unreliable, wind and solar future of their own making. This is called justice.”
 
Some artificial intelligence (AI) data centers are vacant in California because the local utility cannot provide the electricity
Google brags about being net carbon neutral but their Oklahoma data center is located 2 miles north of a coal fired power plant and nearby a hydroelectric dam facility. And not a solar farm or wind generator in sight.
 
They also use huge amounts of water. Two were planned within 10 miles of my house. One got cancelled because they could not get access to enough water after the locals convinced the local utility to pull out.

The second is running a line to a river about 5 miles away to get enough water. The local utility couldn't supply enough.


BTW, they're developing small nuke power plants for some of these AI centers.
 
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There is one locally that is putting in a backup hydrogen fuel cell system that uses natural gas to create hydrogen
 
There is a BUNCH of them being built, or just built, in the San Antonio area on our side of town (5-10m from us). I'm cool with it, but wonder how their thirst will exacerbate the already restricted water situation - I guess we might find out how deep the Edwards Aquifer actually is! :ROFLMAO:

I trust in Texas' business judgement, and think that the water restrictions (mainly on watering and car washing in your driveway) are probably over done, but am in favor of them for obvious reasons - reasonable water use is always a good idea. The drought cycle will end at some point, and then we'll get a few "Noah's flood" rainy years that will "re-tank" the rechargeable Edwards Aquifer . (y)
 
Clearly, the science was settled by Al Gore proclamation in 1992!

"The Antarctic Ice Sheet gained mass between 2021 and 2023, a dramatic reversal from decades of loss."

-and-

"Recent research offers new insights on Antarctic sea ice, which, despite global warming, has increased in overall extent over the past 40 years."
 
While they insist that global warming is real, the thermometers didn't get the message. The temperature range over long periods of time appears to vary ever so slightly according to ocean currents, solar activity and the distance from the sun.
 
Some hi tech companies like Meta are building own energy sources for their energy hungry Data Centers.
Rightly so since we can't rely on public or semipublic companies for our energy needs.
 
While they insist that global warming is real, the thermometers didn't get the message. The temperature range over long periods of time appears to vary ever so slightly according to ocean currents, solar activity and the distance from the sun.
In Iceland, electricity is cheap. Plentiful geothermal energy sources.
However, I didn't see any EV cars. Maybe EV cars too much trouble in a cold environment?
 
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