Is the future of data centers underground? Here's one engineer's vision
Engineer Channing Blackwell is promoting an underground data center concept called The Renaissance System, which would use geothermal energy, solar panels and natural cooling to reduce noise, pollution, grid demand and water use. The concept is being presented as a response to growing community opposition to data centers in Northern Virginia, where the Piedmont Environmental Council is organizing a march in Leesburg calling for a statewide moratorium.
Engineer Channing Blackwell has developed The Renaissance System, a proposed underground hyperscale data center concept designed to address community concerns about noise, pollution, electricity demand and water consumption. The design would be buried beneath a berm covered with solar panels and use geothermal energy and underground cooling, with Blackwell claiming it could operate without fossil fuels, community water or a connection to the electric grid.
The technology has not yet been proven, but Blackwell said his team has spent a year refining the concept around community, environmental and national security. The proposal comes as opposition to data center growth intensifies in Northern Virginia. The Piedmont Environmental Council is planning a march in Leesburg to call for a statewide data center moratorium, while the U.S. Department of Energy has highlighted geothermal technology as a potential solution to data centers' heating and cooling challenges.