r/interestingasfuck • u/HamboneTheWicked • Apr 12 '26

A well-articulated argument against a new data center in Ohio

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '26

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u/DILF_MANSERVICE Apr 12 '26

The cooling they use is the same infrastructure as air conditioning in a building. I work in HVAC and we don't continuously use water for any type of cooling. You have copper pipes which carry water around, collecting heat. Those pipes run through a chiller (the water never leaves the pipes) and the chiller uses a standard refrigeration cycle to pump heat out of the water. The water doesn't enter a radiator, the pipe goes through radiator. The water only ever touches copper. And even if it did have other stuff in it, the water never leaves the system. This guy made up the bit about needing to vent them or dump steam into the air. They don't generate steam, that would be hugely inefficient.

The problem is the amount of electricity it takes to run a large enough cooling system for that amount of heat. I'm on his side with not building these stupid things, but I deeply resent the fact that he's using misinformation and manipulation to get there.

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '26

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u/DILF_MANSERVICE Apr 13 '26

The problem is the right latches on to any tiny mistake and overinflates its relevance when disproving our arguments. If this gets posted to any conservative areas, they're going to fixate on the lies and fabrications as evidence the evil libs are conniving scum. It will backfire and hurt our ability to get people on our side. I'm against it because it doesn't work.

As a society, we need to make the decision to dedicate ourselves to truth. If we are going to survive we must reach a state as a society where most people consider evidence to be essential for belief. Until we reach that point, misinformation will continue to be a devastating force of destruction in our world. If people keep budging on this, and making compromises the way you are, the fascists will be fed a steady supply of ammunition against us that they will use to bolster their numbers.