Data Center Principles

Data centers are massive facilities that house computer systems, networking components, and storage devices. They process and store data used in the cloud. As our reliance on AI and other technologies grows, so too does the demand for data centers, leading to exponential increases in energy demand, water consumption and land.

Northern Virginia (NOVA) boasts the world's largest concentration of data centers, with 70% of the global total. Proximity to the federal government, Virginia's attractive tax incentives, reliable and affordable power supply, and well-developed telecommunications infrastructure make it a prime location for data center development.

Loudoun County, VA, is often referred to as "Data Center Alley" due to its high concentration of these facilities. A significant portion of the world's internet traffic passes through Loudoun County's digital infrastructure, making it a crucial player in the global technology economy. The data center industry supports over 12,000 jobs in Loudoun County alone.

More than 30 million square feet of data centers are currently operational with millions more on the way. Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) sounds a spiritual call to address climate disruption caused by carbon pollution. FACS is concerned about data centers’ growing demands for energy, water, land resources and subsequent adverse impacts on the health and well-being of neighbors.

• Energy consumption: Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity to power servers, storage systems, and cooling equipment. This energy often comes from carbon-based sources, contributing to climate change, air pollution and associated public health problems, and straining local power grids. At the current rate, data center operations threaten to undermine Virginia's commitment to achieving 100% clean energy by 2045, as required by the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Dominion Energy, the electric power utility serving the NOVA data centers, projects new data centers will double electricity demand by 2028. In fact, electricity needed to power AI alone is expected to increase demand by 160% in four years, by 2028. Additionally, data centers rely on diesel generators for backup power, emitting significant amounts of pollution. 
• Water usage: Cooling systems in data centers often require substantial amounts of water. A single data center can consume as much water as a city of 30,000-50,000 people.
• Land use: Data centers, which can be the size of a Super Walmart, including the parking lot,  occupy large tracts of land, often encroaching on neighborhoods and historic landmarks. Loudoun County's data center footprint has grown by 144% in just six years of development.
• Equity: Data centers pose health and economic challenges to their neighbors. Emissions from diesel generators can cause respiratory problems, and, since costs are passed to ratepayers, the increasing needs for power infrastructure put a disproportionate burden on low-income and moderate-income communities. As part of an interconnected world, we must also include global neighbors in our equity concerns as global corporations  expand data center development into the developing world.

Explosive data center growth and the enormous amounts of reliable, round the clock energy required to power them, far exceeds the current and planned-for renewable energy supply, transmission and storage infrastructure. That said, FACS and other advocates are pressing for solutions that tackle the energy, environmental, public health and equity concerns associated with the inevitable growth in data centers. These include aggressive decarbonization, optimizing energy efficiency, deploying distributed energy resources, battery storage and using microgrids, among other options.

Policymakers at all levels are considering policies to address the land use, siting, power supply, and transmission challenges posed by data centers. FACS supports the development and use of clean and sustainable technological advancements.

FACS has developed Data Center Principles to guide advocacy and legislative action. By adhering to these principles, FACS advocates for policies that balance the inevitable growth of data centers with the need to protect the environment, public health, and equity. By doing so, Virginia, particularly NOVA, has the potential to become a moral voice and model for other locations, nationally and globally, in sustainable, equitable development.