Data centers are reshaping electricity demand
A University of Illinois Springfield event examined the environmental effects of expanding data centers, including increased electricity demand, fossil-fuel generation, air pollution, blackout risks, noise and water use. Boston University professor Mary Willis also discussed the approved CyrusOne data center project and opportunities for communities to negotiate benefits and monitor local impacts.
About 150 people attended an October 21 discussion at the University of Illinois Springfield focused on the environmental consequences of data center growth. Mary Willis, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health, said expanding facilities are increasing electricity demand, potentially extending the use of fossil-fuel power plants and placing additional stress on an aging grid. She also cited emissions from backup generators, blackout risks, noise and possible health effects from fine particulate matter.
The discussion also addressed water consumption and the chemicals used in closed-loop cooling systems. Willis said communities and developers could benefit from engineering solutions that reduce water use and fossil-fuel dependence. She cited the approved CyrusOne data center project as a possible opportunity for local citizen science and noted that Bloomington and Morgan County were among Illinois jurisdictions with advisory ballot questions about data center development.