Local opinion: Data centers must use solar power

Consequently, Beale would need to invest either in Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries or in gravity batteries, and the cost to do that would be significant. This would mean upfront costs for solar would be greater than the cost of a gas-fired power plant. It would also incur significant costs for land purchase. But once built, the cost to provide power is negligible. Sunshine does not need to be purchased, mined or refined, and it does not pollute.

Additionally, storing power in batteries provides multiple advantages, including cutting reliance on water for cooling, cutting dirty emissions and noise, and providing reliability during nighttime hours or during grid outages. But the critical advantage of a solar-powered data center is its very limited use of water.

Traditional fossil fuel and nuclear power plants use enormous volumes of water for steam generation and cooling. Studies from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) show that both coal and natural gas plants consume roughly 2.5 billion gallons of water annually for cooling and steam generation. By contrast, solar PV uses nearly zero water to generate electricity. The only significant water use comes from panel washing.

If Beale were required to buy land for a solar farm from land that had been used for growing cotton, water use would be cut to less than 1/100th of the water formerly used.

Powering data centers with solar panels and battery backup is technically feasible, economically competitive, and environmentally advantageous. While upfront capital costs for building a solar farm and utility-scale batteries are significant, the operational cost to power a data center with solar panels is very low, and the water savings — especially in our area — are vital. Our water supply is already imperiled, and that problem will become worse with time.