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Comment by throwaway2037 | Hacker News Reader

throwaway2037

If anyone is curious, from the photograph in the article, I have geolocated the existing business park property here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kYyHuEWcAZkrypWa7

The whole area is (1) office parks (including large parking lots), (2) warehouses/light manuf'ing/"big box" stores, (3) enormous(!) rail yard (freight trains), (4) the Nashville Zoo.

I don't have any skin in this fight, but I think it is a missed opportunity. The two sides should negotiate an agreement that is acceptable to both sides. Example: Can they do a land swap? Can they limit the power draw and noise levels? Can they promise not to generate any power onsite (gas turbines, etc.)? Can they promise to cover the data center roof with solar panels? Can they build higher density (imagine double/triple/quad height data center), but only in the furthest quadrant of land from the zoo, then promise to infill the remaining land with dense forest (or donate it to the zoo)?

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I work in commercial real and even I'm going to go NIMBY mode on this lol. This property shares a large boundary to the zoo and I have a very hard time believing you won't cause an impact (noise pollution eg) to the animals next door.

Is there any evidence anywhere of a totally sound proof, unintrusive mega data center? I have not seen anything.

IMO noise pollution is the easiest one to solve: just put all the AC fans on the far side of the datacenter. If not enough, surround with noise absorbing panels. If not enough, just get a different fan design, more coolers, and run them at half speed. They can even afford Noctua :)

I bet nearby rail yard produces way more loud noises.

Datacenter is like the cleanest and most ecofriendly business you can imagine.

Can noise that can be heard a kilometer away really not be heard from the other side of a building?

Noise absorbing panels block airflow, if you didn't know that. Useless for AC.

You don't need to block the airway. Air and sound move differently, so you absorb on paths that sounds likes to travel and minimize obstruction on the air path. Something akin to a Tesla valve.

I'm willing to bet that you can make the exhaust noise near inaudible if you want to. Problem is, it costs a couple 10k dollars or so, and why pay for that if you can just fuck over the neighbour instead?

Tesla valve noise cancellers are not a thing that exists. Why don't you go and invent them before telling the rest of us we should just buy them for $200 each?

The Potential of Tesla Valve Design on Acoustic Application https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-96-5063-7_...

Analysis of sound performance on Tesla valve principle-based model: Experimental and simulation approach https://doaj.org/article/8cfc59ce5f59454e856e5b2fb613372a

But I think even with just a basic understanding of physics its clear that something like this could work. It also does not have to be a Tesla valve precisely. There are all kinds of mufflers and some of them can no doubt be applied at industrial scale - if one is willing to pay a reasonable amount of money.

> Datacenter is like the cleanest and most ecofriendly business you can imagine.

Tell that to the residents of Memphis.

As I understand, initially, the power production was done on-site using gas turbines. Later, these were moved to Mississippi and a high voltage powerline connected the two sites. After this change, why is the Memphis data center not clean and ecofriendly for residents of Memphis?

You moved the goalpost. You said they are clean as could be. While temporary, sure, it was a horrific situation for the nearby residents.

Later is just as likely to never happen, as happen. Billionaires have promised all sorts of things to get tax breaks for the things they want and never followed through with the parts that benefited others.

Anything can be done so rushed and shitty that it has negative consequences.

Nothing that uses as much power as a modern data center is anywhere close to the most clean eco friendly business imaginable. Even one on 100% renewables, which most very much are not, is hurting the environment far more than many industries. Green energy isn't "free", it's just less harmful than the alternatives.

Ok, what large business would you say is more eco friendly?

A fun story, for electric generation, Washington state produces and exports a lot of electricity because they are blessed with convenient hydropower. But WA still don't want to build data centers for some reason, even though they a the best positioned to.

One of the guys leading the effort is active on threads (probably twitter too). He has no interest in negotiating. He is gloating over his win hardcore and has very absolutist views when it comes to datacenters

Hat tip for the additional source. I have no love for people in this fight looking for a "total win/defeat". It is a dumb way to approach large construction projects. Can you share some links to the Threads account?

Here's one account, @rooey.wav

https://www.threads.com/share/BAQzYUI7Nf/

There's another account that I thought was something like @stopdatacenters but I'm having trouble finding it atm

Once you get audience captured on a single topic like that, you are damned to being the biggest champion of it forever.

Happened to lots of influencers during the whole vax debacle of COVID. Mostly sane people who didn't catch a big break until they mentioned there might be mercury in the covid vax. Five years later and they are still tugging those lines.

Messing with the zoo was a really bad idea - it is extremely popular, has higher attendance than professional sports in our market, and Nashville is full of celebrities who immediately hit their socials to condemn it.

There is lots of land outside the city but then you can't piggyback on infrastructure so it is more expensive. That's my primary objection - if this is so important why not spend the money to put it somewhere it is likely to have less of an impact on your neighbors?

This is more a harbinger of what is about to happen all over the country. So the specifics matter less than it marking the political ascendancy of the backlash to AI / data centers / big tech / billionaires...

> Can they limit the power draw and noise levels? Can they promise not to generate any power onsite (gas turbines, etc.)? Can they promise to cover the data center roof with solar panels?

Can they break those promises easily?

Sure, you can sue, but while those suits move through courts, everyone else suffers.

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