Growth in data centers overpowers Virginia's renewable energy gains
Almost 70 percent of the world’s internet traffic passes through data centers in Loudoun County on a daily basis.
More than 100 massive data centers, over 10 million square feet of building space, dot the Northern Virginia landscape around Dulles Airport in what is known as “Data Center Alley.”
And the industry is growing fast.
Local governments welcome the contribution to their tax revenue, but these data centers come with a dark downside: they are energy hogs, and the fossil fuel energy they consume is driving climate change.
A new report from Greenpeace called Clicking Clean Virginia: The Dirty Energy Powering Data Center Alley describes the magnitude of the problem:
Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/02/15/growth-in-data-centers-overpowers-virginias-renewable-energy-gains/