TEMPERS FLARE OVER DATA CENTER WATER USE

Two Part Series

PART ONE: background info

There are two hot topics surrounding the proposed data center. One involves water use related to cooling systems needed to keep the massive collection of servers operating as they perform their AI and data storage chores; second, is a fear local citizens will be asked to share in the cost of the massive amount of electricity needed to run the "hyperscale" facility servers and cooling equipment. This review is all about local water woes and what's worth concern, where we can relax and what to do if we need to take action. Like the Big Oaks review, it is important to get correct information out to all those concerned so citizens can take action in the best and most impactful way. Water usage is a little more complex than answering questions about who and why Big Oaks is shuttering and possibly closing. In the end we learned Big Oaks is a victim of several federal administration decisions, although Trump cuts played a huge role. We also learned the changes have nothing to do with the proposed data center and that information helped us direct our concerns to the right people. Water usage is a different story and depending on who you listen to or which Facebook post is trending, our new facility could use millions of gallons a day or hardly any at all compared to our other big, local users.

Obviously, we need something to cool because computers and servers use a ton of energy which means they throw off heat. We measure heat by BTUs. British Thermal Unit- is an old term for how much heat is needed to raise one pound of liquid water, one degree Fahrenheit. Along with industry and equipment language like rack or blade servers, or in our case- deep learning servers, language gets further complicated because we have to consider computer equipment verbiage such as CPUs (central processing unit- the electronic brain of a computer) and GPUs or graphic processing units which are designed to speed up processing by splitting up enormous tasks into much smaller, easier to handle tasks. Both CPUs and GPUs reach CRITICAL heat limits very quickly. All of this means really skilled professionals need to engineer a near fail safe system that keeps big boxes of electrical equipment cool despite the fact they run 24/7/365 and generate a ton of heat. There are millions of dollars at risk if they get it wrong. In addition, technology improves rapidly so engineering a cooling system especially for something this big is hard. But, we already know what all this means because when you put your laptop on your "lap" you can feel the heat and it doesn't take long for your computer to slow down if it doesn't have air for its fan or the computer isn't cooling.

Starting conversations about water use is hard. One of the biggest barriers to finding a common understanding is the lack of a shared, familiar language. Developers use a language that includes heat and energy vocabulary like watts- which doesn't measure how much energy (like a cup or ounce) but measures how fast something uses energy. Think of the difference between LED bulbs and the old fashioned incandescent. Same light but different number of watts needed. When we look at electric needs we have to consider "watts" and their bigger siblings, kilo, giga and tera watts. But for now, we are trying to understand watts and how they relate to BTUs. BTUs tell us how much heat is generated by our fast-moving electricity (watts) which tells us how much cooling we need to do, which may or may not tell us how much water we need to use. 1 watt is about equal to 3.412 BTU/hour. Plus, it's only fair to point out that our commissioners and county council have also had difficulty understanding data center cooling as it relates to the language of energy especially when it comes to the process to the public. Commissioner Bramer is our best expert with a master's in chemical engineering; David holds a respected position with Dow Chemical but it's fair to say he isn't as good a communicator as he is an engineer. And, while Mr. Lee works at the Ghent Power plant and has a strong understanding of how energy converts quickly to heat, he too struggles to convey information in a way that reaches 100% of our citizens. In fairness, it's virtually impossible to help all of us understand because we all come to the conversation with different knowledge and experiences. Probably our best communicator is Commissioner Bobby Little who oversaw the building of our new jail and placement of back up diesel power. I do not believe any of our commissioners are lying about water or electric use. They have just been unsuccessful in explaining the specifics despite repeated efforts of such a large number of people asking multiple questions, in so many different ways. To be fair we must admit to ourselves that there are those among the crowds asking some pretty weird questions that make no sense and sometimes are asked just to insult others. But most are serious questions, given in good faith. Still, county councils' behavior- especially Mr. Blacks betrayal of public and elected official trust has cut citizens faith in local elected officials. Combined with many city council persons and Mayor Courtneys disregard and dishonest actions related to the riverfront apartment development and fiascos at state and federal levels, it's easy to see why the public is rightfully doubtful. Then we add in the many data center failures in other communities. So, in addition to having trouble speaking an unfamiliar language to a bunch of people on different pages- we have lost trust in those who are most responsible for answering honestly.

PART TWO: here's what's happening

So, here's the answers in layman's terms. We all know how air can cool us down- a breeze on a hot summer day or brisk winter wind that can make us chill. When we walk out with wet skin or clothes the effect is faster and stronger. In fact, humans can become quickly and dangerously hypothermic if we get wet and are exposed to too much cool/cold. But eventually the water or sweat evaporates and we are back to normal. Citizens are deeply worried that our data center will use an evaporation system and will therefore need millions of gallons to cool the equipment. Evaporation is not the oldest form of cooling, but it bridges the old way of air cooling and the new way of liquid cooling. Through the 1990s we basically used closed room-air conditioners to chill the entire room. It was wildly expensive and wasted massive amounts of energy. In addition, it used chemical refrigerant's that were, in many cases, harmful to the environment. In our data center we will still have air conditioning, but it will not serve as the primary source to cool the servers.

Evaporative cooling uses water to chill down hot air. This system was often called "free cooling" because it used natural outside air then ran through wet pads to drop the temperature using water evaporation. Just like putting a cool cloth on our head and standing near a fan. The only problem is while it saved on electric costs it used millions of gallons of water. Our data center does not have towers to help evaporate water to cool the hot air removed from the servers, but it does use fans to blow cool air across the hot air to help chill it down. Think of the hot air your car engine creates and how the cars radiator cools things down and also keep things from freezing. You aren't adding fluid every time you drive - yet your engine stays cool and continues to run.

It's important to remember that here in Madison we put about a 50-50 water-antifreeze mix in our car radiators to keep them from freezing, while those in much warmer areas can just use water. It doesn't matter in the summer but without antifreeze in the winter we run the risk the water used to cool the engine will freeze which causes it to expand and can therefore crack the engine, damage seals or even burst the radiator. So if we aren't using water or antifreeze what's left?

There are lots of liquids besides water that can be used to cool things down. Cooling liquids are divided into two main categories - conductive fluids inside closed or SEALED- loop systems and dielectric-or nonconductive fluids that do not allow electric current to flow through but in which we can entirely submerge computer hardware in cooling tanks. Nonconductive fluids and oils are used everywhere from our electric cars and electric transformers to heavy industry machinery that operate near power lines. I purchase dielectric grease to use outside on outlets when I plug in Christmas lights. It helps prevent lights from shorting in rain and I buy it at Lowes. So, the question for us isn't how much water will be used ongoing to cool- because we won't be using water for cooling - only for toilets, hand sinks, mop buckets and all the normal office building usage. Our concern has to be what type of chemical will be used since water isn't being used. It's also a good idea to ask about how all the hot air that ends up outside will affect the surrounding area - if at all.

Propylene Glycol (PG) is our hero for saving our water supply and preventing risk to our environment, the data center employees and areas citizens. It is prized in data centers for being nontoxic and quickly biodegradable. The FDA recognizes it as safe for human consumption and skin contact. You'll find it listed as an "emulsifier" to help mix water and oils in such things as salad dressings and prevent ice crystals in ice cream, as a carrier liquid to help dissolve flavors like vanilla extract and to prevent clumping of cake, muffin and other baking and cooking mixes. It's used in health care for injections that won't mix with water; medications like valium are a good example. You'll find propylene glycol listed in your shampoos, stick deodorants, soaps and even toothpaste. Some of best skin moisturizers us propylene glycol to draw moisture direct from the air to help hydrate our skin. Although it is not naturally occurring, it is safely blended from byproducts of fossil fuel with water and purified. Or it can be created from soybean, canola and other plant-based options when industry turns vegetable oils into biodiesel. What is left is a byproduct called glycerol which when hit with heat and pressure will transform the glycerol to plant-based propylene glycol. For our environmentalist among us- maybe we should ask the developer to use plant-based propylene glycol but then we need to ask how the heat and pressure are created- we may use more fossil fuel or not. Let us know if you know.

But PG can also be our villain, and citizens have a responsibility to follow up with elected officials. PG is really slippery. While highly unlikely, a spill in transit to the data center will cause a major traffic hazard. It's not truly a highly flammable liquid and takes high temps to ignite. (almost 700 degrees Fahrenheit). Responders minimal protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses. I couldn't find any examples of where PG vaporized to where responders would need organic vapor masks, coveralls and boots. The real issue is protecting the water table. PG must be blocked from entering storm drains, ditches, sanitary sewers or surface waterways. It doesn't kill fish but instead natural microbes in the water take in massive amounts of oxygen from the water to break the PG down. When microbes gorge on PG they don't leave any oxygen for the fish. Therefore, fish kills are a possible outcome if a weak response plan is implemented. As a community we need to insist a strong response to emergency spill in is place. Specific responses can include erecting large dikes, using soil commercial booms or barricades ahead of liquid path, use of vermiculite, dry sand or clay even absorbent pads are good interventions. Citizens must insist OHSA HAZWOPER guidelines (29 CFR 1910.120) be included in facilities hazardous material response plan. It's unlikely we would end up with a fish kill since our watershed drains to a creek which subsequently connects to small streams and then runs to the Wabash River- but "its better to be safe than sorry".

The amount of PG depends on the system our data center will use as well as when each building is built and occupied. Remember, if we have a problem with the first building there's plenty of time to correct or stop things before we move forward. Most importantly, just because the initial opinion has been in favor of the data center- that doesn't mean the building permits will automatically be issued. Our new UDO requires lots of applications and permitting occur before they can begin construction or expand. Nothing can move forward without those permits. In closing we may use some water to mix with the PG but that depends on the specific system, but we will NOT use millions of gallons. Our closed loop system will use PG which means the water doesn't leak out, get dumped out, evaporate or need refilled. PG is food grade safe and FDA approved but we should still insist on some simple safety measures including a spill response plan.

MISCELLENOUS and INTERESTING INFO

Here's a little background on the relationship between watts and BTUs:

Rack server (a normal computer with their own fan and a built-in power supply-plug) uses 300-800watts and puts off 1000-27000 BTU.

A laptop uses 30-70w ------gaming laptops 100-300; that's 100-240 BTUs per hour for normal laptops and up to 500-1000BTUs/hr for gaming depending on the model.

Something called the Firgelli Automations BTU Calculator comes in handy if you have to design an office space with desktops, laptops and charges.

The total amount of heat energy released by burning a match completely is about 1 BTU

2019 City of Madison Water Utility Master Planning Report- table 2-12 lists the top 20 water consumers. Number 1 is Canaan Water at 114,7688,800. gallons followed by Dupont at 76,432,583. Rykers Ridge -1 at 36,936,400. and Rykers Rider #2- 14,945,000. - Kent has its own wells and provides water to the College and Hanover. #5 top user after rural water is KDH - making it the largest single user at 16,408,780. JPG Utility Sales uses 9,239,650. Moving down the list there are Presidential/Windridge Apartments and Madison Mobile Village. Trilogy is actually the 10th largest consumer at 7,735,850. Clifty Pool comes in at #12 with almost 6 million, Jeffs Car Wash finished 17th with 3,950,500. Madison comes in right with KDH but is listed as three separate accounts and as expected industry rounds out our top users with Arvin Sango at 6,230,800., Nucor at 3,855,500., Madison IN MHP-LLC 3,015,650 and Madison Precision at 2,897,250.

Normal daily use for the fully operational facility will be between 1500-2000 gallons a day which is approximately what an office building with 100 employees. We will need to verify how much if any water is added to each cooling system for each building at start up. We will also need to verify how often, if ever the system will be flushed or coolant replaced.

Water Loss to the City of Madison was 16% in 2019.