So many data centers are being built or proposed around the nation, including in Oklahoma that it raises questions about the ability of utilities to meet the demand for electrical power and for water. The growth also raises questions of responsibility when it comes to the environment.
The U.S. Department of Energy contends the energy-intensive types of buildings used for data centers consume 10 to 50 times the energy of a commercial office building. Plus, there’s the demand for water. The University of California Riverside reported that Google’s U.S. data centers consumed 12.7 billion liters of fresh water for cooling four years ago. But within a three-year period, the amount used by Google rose to more than 30 billion liters.
Consequently, some environmentalists are raising questions, including Zack Pistora who is director of the Sierra Club’s Kansas Chapter. He contends the deta centers and the tech companies building them have a responsibility to work to mitigate the environmental impacts.
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