Thursday, January 25, 2024

Powering Data Storage

 This post is sponsored and authored by the Mississippi Energy Institute. 

(The topic du jour is the announcement of multiple, big data storage centers to be constructed in Madison County. The MS Legislature is convening today in a Governor Reeves-called Special Session to consider an incentive package to lure the project. Recently, the Magnolia Tribune covered how energy intensive projects will naturally be drawn to places with stable, reliable, affordable energy. Data storage centers require ENORMOUS amounts of electricity. A great big, baseload-power consumer like data storage can result in benefits across an electricity system through greater economies of scale. Below is a Daily Energy Intake from 10/5/23 on electricity and data storage.)

Most of us go nowhere without our devices these days. Our apps have changed how we purchase items, listen to music, follow sports and so on. Through text, call and email, communication with others is almost always immediately accessible. Like it or not, this technology has transformed how we live and work.

Do you know the energy requirements to support our device and data driven economy? About 2% of all electricity consumed in the U.S. is used to power the data storage centers that keep all of our apps, information, preferences, songs, emails, and contacts. And this does not count the power we use to keep our device batteries charged.

To put this in perspective, that's about 50% more than the electricity consumed in all of Mississippi. This is a mind-blowing amount of electricity, and as our data needs increase, we should expect this to increase.

Because it's out of sight, most people may fail to think about the tremendous energy requirements to support our modern data-driven lifestyles. Powering the data storage industry is equivalent to powering a mid-sized state. To Sign Up for Your Daily Energy Intake, Click Here.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

More windmills

Anonymous said...

"Incentive package" = corporate welfare.

Anonymous said...

Brown outs...I know you can say brown outs.

Anonymous said...

5:32
This isn’t some green energy bs

Anonymous said...

A few billion solar panels should provide sufficient power.

Anonymous said...

Well Played Amazon!
Money for nothing and the chick are free!

Anonymous said...

PAYING A BIG PRICE FOR DATA CENTER JOBS
Forbes conducted interviews and reviewed documents and news reports to obtain complete tax break, employment and project information for 15 projects launched since 2015 that were anonymous at the time they received tax incentives. The combined $10 billion in value of the projects, which created approximately 837 permanent jobs, was offset by at least $811 million in tax abatements, penciling out to almost $1 million for every permanent job created.

We just got sold out again. Thanks, Tater.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidjeans/2021/08/19/data-in-the-dark-how-big-tech-secretly-secured-800-million-in-tax-breaks-for-data-centers/?sh=60d066b26b43

Anonymous said...

Tate just had to get him his own mega beef plant or KIOR....

Anonymous said...

Folks like 8:03PM seem to be confused about what a tax abatement is. If government decides to not tax something - something that wouldn't be there at all without the tax abatement - there is no conceivable "loss" there. Foregoing taxes can't be a loss to government, so its at worse a net zero if all taxes are forgiven.

In this case all the construction costs and taxes on those wages and the wages of permanent employees, plus the non-abated taxes, and the secondary effects of buying houses, spending money, etc. by employees make this look like a very good thing for the state and the area.

A Million Dollars Per Job said...

This is the RINO equivalent to Obama's "shovel ready jobs."

Anonymous said...

Amazon was running out of suckers so they came here.

Anonymous said...

Is the nuclear plant in Port Gibson still having issues?

Anonymous said...

The Port Gibson Nuclear Plant was built FIFTY years ago this year.

Anonymous said...

Conveniently there is a solar farm being built close by.

Anonymous said...

Every time a wind blows in central Mississippi we have an electrical outage. How does that play into effect with a number of data storage centers that require vast amounts of power? The Chinese bitcoin servers that were built are using a great deal of our much needed electricity. One is on Highway 61 South near the Vicksburg Municipal Airport hidden behind a derelict building out of plain sight and the other is in plain sight in Meridian sitting next to the substation on I-20 as you travel East. Another question is how will Entergy keep and maintain the power needed for these Data Centers? They have already had issues with storms by not removing vegetation near the transmission lines.

Anonymous said...

The future is investing in Chinese language schools.

Anonymous said...

Talking about power, no one is mentioning all the dead pine trees from the drought and beetles that are fixing to start falling all across above ground power lines. The next 24 months are fixing to be pretty interesting.

Anonymous said...

@10:14
Every time the wind blows…
You wonder why the world works!

Facts are that Entergy is required to incorporate this all into their planning for both future generation, transmission, and distribution. They evaluate everything with respect to grid stability and reliability during all conditions. This is dictated by national norms (NERC Reliability Standards), adherence to which adresses all of your concerns.

The funny exception to this is Texas’ ERCOT which is not commited to the same reliability standards (NERC) as the rest of the USA (hence massive grid failures three times in 20 years for the exact same cause). ERCOT has done better by improving winterization reuirements across its supplier resources since their last failure.

This is not a Mississippi problem.

Plus: The newest web servers use solid state drives that use less than one tenth that of disc drives resulting in a much smaller electrical demand.

Anonymous said...

@3:45 It is not really the disk drives and data storage that is a worry. It is the cooling that sucks up the most power. The cooling for such a data center will be a HUGE demand. Yes solid state is used for many things such as the main boot drives of the servers but the main amount of drives used for data storage are not solid state drives. By far the most used drives in a data center are still standard HDDs when it comes to standard storage options used for cloud storage and archival data.

Anonymous said...

@3:35, I’m 10:14. Don’t insult my knowledge or common sense approach. I made a valid statement and 12:15 made a more valid comment. We may have some of the infrastructure in place but the maintenance is not being performed as needed. Although, I have noticed many new Entergy Subcontractors have relocated to the area recently so that being said, let’s see how Entergy plans on addressing this issue. Here is something that needs to be addressed also. The Legislature should pass a law very soon to address the issue of any and all vegetation that’s within close proximity of power lines.
All trees should be cut within the fall radius of any power lines and the state should give authority to any Utility company by eminent domain (I know that will piss many of you off) to remove trees for the benefit and safety of all. I notice as I drive the stupidity of how people will plop a sapling down under a power line and then dare anyone to touch it knowing they are actually creating problems for other people near them in the community when their trees they plant under the power line grows to maturity and is the cause of a power outage.

Anonymous said...

"Folks like 8:03PM seem to be confused about what a tax abatement is. If government decides to not tax something - something that wouldn't be there at all without the tax abatement - there is no conceivable "loss" there. Foregoing taxes can't be a loss to government, so its at worse a net zero if all taxes are forgiven."

If a taxing entity foregoes future taxes on a parcel of land developed for a new, higher tax rate status usage, it does lose something if the land previously produced tax revenue, even for at a lesser rate (which is likely in most cases). For example, if a timber tract taxed as ag is developed into a data center that without abatement would have been assessed at a higher tax rate, and therefore a larger tax revenue stream, the tax formerly paid on it is now lost and the abatement prevents some future revenue. That said, if the numbers make sense, tax abatement can be a win for everyone, including the average citizens of the tax district affected, because to continue to cite the above-quoted comment:

"In this case all the construction costs and taxes on those wages and the wages of permanent employees, plus the non-abated taxes, and the secondary effects of buying houses, spending money, etc. by employees make this look like a very good thing for the state and the area."

This is broadly accurate and doesn't even cover all the other monetary benefits that something like this can inure to the tax district. It does make the assumption that the foregone tax revenue will be less than the increases it engenders, which isn't an unreasonable presumption (it may not turn out to be accurate but it isn't unreasonable). One reason it can work for all is that while AMZN avoids the taxation, its presence creates an "atmosphere" in which increased taxable events (property status conversion, sales tax, income tax, etc.) occur and accrue, the reasonably presumed result is a net overall tax revenue increase. It would be up to the "locals" - the county officials and those who vote for them - whether to increase spending or "spread the wealth" by, for example, reducing the tax burden on residential property. If they choose to increase spending, that isn't on AMZN. Whatever state income tax AMZN will pay, or the taxes on direct or indirect wages paid, is up to the legislature. The only interest AMZN would have in the income tax on wages issue would be if it were so high that it made attracting workers from lesser-taxing states difficult.

Will the increased economic activity be as great as implied/hyped (but not _promised_)? Probably not. Will there be an increase in regional economic activity and therefore an increase in taxable events, and a likely increase in property tax revenue from other property development/use conversion? Yes. In simpler terms, will this thing by itself and as it has been outlined bring $10 billion in actual "outside/new" money to the area or even the entire state in the next couple of years? Probably not. Will it increase the amount of real money coming into the area by a noticeable amount? Yes.

It is a reasonable projection that a net-positive economic effect will occur when this individual project is considered as a catalyst factor in overall development in the area. A couple of data centers from AWS for which it has the necessary funds readily at-hand looks a hell of a lot more promising than a giant "travelball" complex from folks who need something close to 100% layered/structured financing in a tough RE finance market to even break ground, plus it wholly relies on an accurate forecast as to the continuing desire and ability of its intended audience. The data centers would also reasonably be projected to be a more-stable long-term operation and presence than a consortium venture to build batteries for electric semis.

Anonymous said...

I know that Entergy can't keep my one house in Hinds County continuously lit up for any length of time, including nice sunny wind-free days. It's so bad I spent 5 figures on a generator.

Anonymous said...

And, being powered by solar energy and batteries. So much for the MEI pearl clutching about the evils of renewable energy. Total hogwash from the dying fossil energy greed barons.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/new-report-leads-to-closure-of-massive-coal-power-plant-no-reason-why-the-taxpayer-should-be-on-the-hook/ar-BB1hknW0?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=161f00f6056c4fafa16d862a8fcdd2a1&ei=129



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

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This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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