Data Centers
Data Centers
(Written by PennFuture, https://www.pennfuture.org/datacenters)
Data centers are the next new land use poised to make a big impact in Pennsylvania. Data centers are buildings that house IT equipment like servers, data storage drives, and network equipment that store and process digital data for companies or individuals. They come in all sizes, from shipping container-sized micro data centers to multi-building “hyperscale” facilities that cover hundreds or even thousands of acres. Data centers have existed for many years, but increased demand, mostly driven by the development of artificial intelligence (AI), has caused a dramatic uptick in development. Pennsylvania has many characteristics that are desirable for data center development – available land, a robust power grid, abundant water (which data centers use for cooling systems), and lack of natural disasters. In fact, Amazon Web Services, one of the world’s top data center “hyperscalers,” has already pledged to spend $20 billion on data centers in the state.
Municipalities are responsible for controlling where and how land is used in Pennsylvania and are the first line of defense when it comes to ensuring that data center development happens responsibly. And PennFuture is here to help! We understand that learning the ins and outs of new land uses and their potential impacts can be complicated and time consuming for municipal officials.That’s why we created resources to give municipalities the information and tools they need to make informed decisions when planning for data centers.
Like any large scale land use, data centers have potential benefits and drawbacks. They may create jobs and bring in tax revenue, but they can also cause significant environmental and quality of life issues if not sited and regulated properly. There are three major concerns with data centers from an environmental perspective: impervious coverage, water usage, and power usage. With hyperscale and multi-building campuses becoming more common, the conversion of large areas of forest or other natural ground cover to building and pavement risks dramatically altering wildlife habitat, stormwater runoff, and ecosystems. Data centers often use water-based cooling systems that can consume hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day, potentially depleting aquifers and surface waters. These facilities also use enormous amounts of electricity, putting strain on our electric grid and driving demand for more power, often generated from harmful fossil fuels like fracked gas.