https://www.worldtribune.com/report-ai-data-centers-causing-distortions-in-power-grids-across-u-s/
Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers are putting a strain on power grids across America, a report said.
The centers are distorting the quality of electricity delivered to homes, threatening damage to appliances, and increasing fire risks, according to a Dec. 27 Bloomberg analysis.
The AI data centers use up 10,000 times more electricity than a single household. The U.S., which operates the most data centers globally, is projected to see a 16 percent surge in power demand over the next five years, triple last year’s estimate, largely driven by new data centers, the report said.
Especially hard hit are Chicago and Northern Virginia’s “data center alley,” according to the analysis which compiled data from Whisker Labs and DC Byte.
While urban centers bear the brunt, the data center effect threatens rural America as well. Regardless of population density, Bloomberg’s analysis found sensors closer to data centers consistently picked up more distorted power than those farther away.
Whisker Labs, which tracks power quality using roughly 1 million residential sensors, found that more than three-quarters of the worst-affected homes are within 50 miles of significant AI data center activity.
The immediate problem is known as “bad harmonics.” That occurs when the normal flow of electricity in steady waves is disrupted, leading to erratic spikes and dips in voltage, the report said.
If exposure to distorted power persists, it can cause home electronics to overheat, make motors in appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners to rattle, and over time, lead to billions in damages. Bad harmonics may also lead to deeper problems for America’s power infrastructure, analysts say.
“Harmonics are a pretty good canary in the coal mine for early signs of stress and problems,” said Bob Marshall, CEO of Whisker Labs. “Left unaddressed, power quality issues can snowball, causing voltage surges that spark fires or sudden sags that trigger blackouts.”
Bad harmonics can also come from industrial machinery and renewable energy inverters, but the strong correlation between AI data center proximity and power quality erosion points to their outsized role, the report said.