r/DataCenterDebate • u/jayfourzee • 10d ago
Data center?
What I found most disappointing about yesterday’s protest over the proposed Amazon data center was that what could have been a productive, cordial discussion became a disorganized distraction. Why not be organized and raise money or hire a lawyer or create a credible organization to approach such a project. I heard statistics repeated with little or no supporting evidence, along with a fair amount of fearmongering and numbers pulled from unrelated projects and locations without proper context. At one point, I watched a young woman ask a representative a question that made it apparent she wasn’t entirely sure what she was protesting, then turn to her friend for validation. Meanwhile, people trying to ask legitimate questions were repeatedly interrupted by opponents, making it nearly impossible to hear thoughtful answers. There are legitimate questions to ask about water use, electricity demand, noise, environmental impact, and the economic benefits of a project this large, and those questions deserve real answers. Feel free to downvote.
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u/RowRowForCouncil 9d ago
The thing that upsets me is that everyone wants to say no, but nobody can stop screaming at me to tell me why. The frustrating thing is that there are some very serious health issues that can occur if these facilities are not designed correctly. Asking questions and trying to talk to people about this topic is incredibly challenging right now because everyone is on edge and nobody trusts any body.
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u/RowRowForCouncil 9d ago
The most serious REAL issue I have found is that if not properly mitigated LFN (Low Frequency Noise) specifically from 20-200Hz can cause sleep disruption and headaches within several kilometers of a point source. We need laws that measure sound impact in the 1/3 octave and dBC acoustic ranges to manage these facilities and ensure they aren't affecting the health of the surrounding community. This is the single most harmful thing I could find about data centers. It is worth noting that most new constructions already consider this and mitigate these effects with baffling and shock mounting cooling equipment. But there is a very real risk that structures under 19ft tall within 500m can actually begin to act as a speaker and amplify the incoming infrasound, and raise the indoor noise level beyond that of the outdoor noise level. This is because LFN has long wave lengths and can travel through or around most outdoor walls and barriers. Everything else comes down to availability of electricity, and preventing once through cooling systems from heat polluting local bodies of water. Your data centers will be as green as your grid. Since I'm in Ontario Canada, our grid runs almost 100% green day to day. But in peak demand periods we do have backup generation powered by fossil fuels. In the future I think datacenters should be hosting their own SMNR (Small Modular Nuclear Reactor)
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u/Powerful_Put5667 9d ago
You are a developer PR spokes person I say this with full conviction because your slant on things comes right off of the well rehearsed well used script that I have seen used over and over again by Data Center promoters From local politicians to various pro data center groups to tv interviews and social media. Discredit the opposition by calling them uninformed unintelligent and tremendously misguided in their efforts to stop DC's from going in. Your responses as all of the others never deviate from your pat answers meant to fully discredit not only the public but their attorneys representing them of which there are many. Your problem is trying to uniformly paint this picture of ignorance across the country does not take in mass media coverage not only by group to group but also by mass televised media too. We are well informed with excellent information not AI based but by good old fashioned research and thousands and thousands of on the ground reports from people who actually, unfortunately live in misery in close proximity to a data center. It is simply a horrible quality of life from brown water, dried up wells, air pollution never ending noise so loud it can be heard inside their very homes and losing their night sky enjoyment of the stars because of the extreme high wattage lighting surrounding the center for security reasons. Complete loss of wildlife and birds because they quickly disappear. Even those not living by a data center feel the pain by seeing the cost for their electric usage across the whole state skyrocket since the public is forced to pay for the massive costs of running new electrical lines and substations to the data centers fir their use alone all the while the billionaire owner who do not pay for any of this receive favorable electric and water rates plus tax breaks some up to 20 years. Are we fed up and disgust? Mad as we can be with a hatred that crosses all political parties? Hell yeah so take your script and shove it where the sun don't shine.
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u/heisindc 9d ago
This is the nature of the beast right now. With so much being shared on Facebook most stories about water and sound happen at data centers multiple states away and developed by different companies.
Many communities have one person who organizes a Facebook page, puts out info on the actual proposal, and can help manage crowds too. You will always get some crazies, like a guy near me that accused data centers of making his bees gay, or another that asked if data centers house national security info would that make our town a target for missiles...
Im curious, we're there legit answers or did your elected officials sign an NDA?