Impacts of Loudoun’s Data Center Industry
Loudoun is widely considered the “data center capital of the world”, hosting over 30 million currently operational data center square feet and another 5 million under development. While the County coffers have been enriched by the property taxes from data center construction, only recently have we begun to realize the externalized cost of our heavy investment in this industry.
Power
- Data center facilities are placing a significant strain on the local power grid.
- Inevitable increased electricity costs will be passed on to the rate-payers.
- New high-voltage transmission lines are required to bring the power to these data center facilities.
Natural Resources
- Fossil-fuel generator operation creates significant air pollution.
- Water and heat pollution from multiple data centers significantly impact our freshwater resources and our wildlife habitat.
Quality of Life
- Noise pollution is a problem when siting centers near residential areas or sensitive wildlife.
- Land grabs by data center companies have inhibited the healthy diversity of residential and commercial land use.
Greening Data Centers
In recognition of these challenges, the Data Center Reform Coalition formed in 2023 to seek Virginia state regulatory oversight of this industry whose resource demands and local planning challenges were exceeding the available local and regional resources. LCP is a supporting member of this Coalition.
Model Green Data Centers
The good news is there is plenty of opportunity for data center proposals to minimize their impact on the resources they consume. The industry is aware of these technologies and tools, but since they cost more up front, incentives, regulation and reporting is needed. Model green data center projects will be more expensive to build and power, but account for the externalized cost of their effect on the local and global community.
Best Practices
 POWER EFFICIENCYimproved software and hardware tools to optimize computer performance and efficiency |  REDUCED GREENHOUSE GASSESdecarbonize backup power in cooperation with clean energy from incentivized power utilities |
 COOLING EFFICIENCYcooling the computers comprises a huge percentage of the massive power draw from data centers |  GREEN CONSTRUCTIONLEED or BREAM-UK standards to incorporate best practices, reduced waste |
Next Steps
The JLARC study, commissioned by the State of Virginia in the 2024 legislative session, is due to be published in December 2024. We will encourage our elected state and local representatives to enact legislation in 2025 that incentivizes this industry to take advantage of the latest technology to reduce their environmental impact.
There will be opportunities for us to write to our State and local representatives to encourage the regulation of this industry for the public good! Attend our monthly meetings or read the updates through the Loudoun Climate Project Newsletter.
More Resources
Data Centers and Energy Demand – PEC
Piedmont Environmental Council lays out the challenges we face resulting from the activities of the data center industry. PEC staff does an excellent job of organizing the advocacy towards Data Center Reform.
Data Center Development – Our Committment – VCN
The explosive growth of data centers threatens to derail state efforts to meet climate goals, improve air and water quality, advance land conservation, and protect national and state parks. Find policy papers, and tune into events and actions on this Virginia Conservation Network web page.
Virginia’s Data Center Burden – Sierra Club
Sierra Club Virginia Chapter lines up the facts and FAQ’s about the dangers of unrelenting data center growth in our region. Sign up here for issue updates and action opportunities.
Power to the People – Ivy Main’s blog
“Virginia energy policy made interesting.” Get informed or fired up with some of Ivy’s recent posts, or browse the 12 years of reporting she’s chalked up in her career as a lawyer, editor and Sierra Club activist.