Residential electricity bills across America saw an average rise of 6% in August compared to the previous year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While the reasons for these price hikes are often complex and region-specific, a concerning trend has emerged in states with high concentrations of data centres.
Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio, all homes to numerous data centres, experienced significantly steeper increases in electricity prices during the same period, with surges of 13%, 16%, and 12% respectively. The immense power consumption of these data centres, some requiring a gigawatt or more, equivalent to the electricity needs of over 800,000 homes, is drawing scrutiny.
Abraham Silverman, a former general counsel for New Jersey's public utility board, highlights the growing "techlash" and concerns over data centres' impact on communities. Beyond the noise and potential environmental concerns, the capacity prices associated with powering these facilities are ultimately passed on to consumers. Furthermore, the data centre load in America's largest grid is impacting prices in states that are not industry leaders. While factors like aging infrastructure, grid upgrades, and increased demand from domestic manufacturing and electrification (EVs, heat pumps) contribute to the rising costs, the impact of data centres remains a key factor in certain regions. Interestingly, Texas, second only to Virginia in data centre count, experienced a lower-than-average price increase, possibly due to its independent grid and faster connection process for new electric supply. California, with the third most data centres and the second highest electricity prices, saw a modest price increase, attributed to wildfire prevention costs.
Fuente Original: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/11/15/069251/are-data-centers-raising-americas-electricity-prices?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
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