I don’t think any data centers would be using ground water for cooling. They’d likely be on closed loop systems. And the power draw is only an issue if we decide to not fix where the grid gets its power from.
Of course the power draw is an issue. There’s no 100% clean energy and our grid is still not 100% renewable. If we continue expanding the energy use in frivolous projects, we’re barely moving the needle. We want to do both, reduce energy use and clean up the grid.
I don’t think any data centers would be using ground water for cooling. They’d likely be on closed loop systems. And the power draw is only an issue if we decide to not fix where the grid gets its power from.
Of course the power draw is an issue. There’s no 100% clean energy and our grid is still not 100% renewable. If we continue expanding the energy use in frivolous projects, we’re barely moving the needle. We want to do both, reduce energy use and clean up the grid.
Whilst I don’t want to debate the energy usage here.
How do we define frivolous projects? Some might think the LHC was frivolous but it had real world benefits.
It’s definitely a spectrum, with crypto sitting at one end and heating homes in the winter on the other.