For Marylanders, and Americans writ large, there is one issue dominating the news this summer: power — how much we want it, how much we need it and who pays for its growing cost. Closely related is the hotly debated topic of data centers.
Let’s face the facts. We all consume increasingly higher amounts of power for everything from cellphones to computers.
Utility prices are soaring in response to demand. Over the past year, Washington, D.C., recorded the largest increase in residential electricity prices nationwide, with costs jumping 23%. (Prices in Maryland rose 17%, and the national average electricity price rose 10%.)
That puts a strain on consumers and companies.
PJM Interconnection— the largest power grid in North America — manages the high-voltage electric system that provides power to 67 million people in all or parts of 13 states and D.C.
PJM, like other providers, is facing local, state and federal pressure to better manage costs.
In addition to high costs, Americans are tackling the thorny issues around data centers, which store large amounts of information powering our digital lives.
Maryland hosts dozens of operational data centers, and nationwide, over 700 data centers are actively under construction across 38 states.
But the size, scope and location of data centers are being met with local protests, City and County Council bans and backlash. We want gobs of information, but we don’t want to have to pay for it.
In Montgomery County, officials are debating pressing the pause button on proposed data centers.
But rather than fighting over individual data center locations, this might be the moment to take a more holistic approach to the information and electricity challenges our nation faces.
Rather than use a “not in my backyard” argument, we could take a broader look at our information and electricity needs and how they dovetail with other problems that impact all of us.
Take housing and employment. Data centers take up a vast amount of land that might be needed for affordable housing. And where there are existing homes, residents often worry that data centers will lower their property value.
But we also need jobs. Data centers employ people in building and running them, potentially opening up a path toward homeownership for those who get jobs in the booming sector.
Education also matters. In Frederick County, school board leadership is calling for a buffer zone to keep data centers away from elementary school kids, fearing noise pollution.
But part of the debate over data centers should include how we prepare young people to work in data.
As with so many hard questions, the answers must be multifaceted.
Yes, data centers use massive amounts of electricity and could strain power grids. But like artificial intelligence, they are a reality in our lives and can produce high computing power.
Power is vital to life. And whether you live in Maryland or outside the state, we can’t afford the risks of losing it. Now is the time for a truly national discussion over how to protect our most vital lifeline before it’s too late.
Tara Sonenshine is a senior fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She served as U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in the Obama administration.
