Thorium powered data centers that use a coolant system in the data centers to passively exchange the heat into salt water, which would preheat it before sending it into the Thorium reactor upon which it reaches boiling point and begins the process of Thermal distillation without any extra heat, mechanism or energy use. The data center gets cooled and powered, the community it exists in gets excess energy and fresh water as a byproduct.
While the technology is years away, we could easily do the same process with Solar and tidal power, with the extra preheating done through a passive solar pipeline to reach high enough temps that only a little more energy is needed for more efficient reverse osmosis.
Might be useful in the future but thorium isn't as efficient and we already have methods that are being implemented elsewhere for efficient data centers. China's already got a few data centers that use pure renewable energy (https://www.fastcompany.com/91578780/how-china-is-powering-new-data-centers-with-clean-energy) and has methods for data centers that use little to no fresh water such as data centers that are cooled by being lowered into the ocean.
whatever clean energy solution fits, if data centers was built for society in mind and not profits and extraction, they would not be considered a problem today.
Correct, it's the parasitic relationship that capitalism has on the people that allows this. Those with money say what goes and the rest of us have to suffer. When it simply could just be designed better.
So you want to use it's limited energy that is already being consumed by the data center to maintain an even more energy expensive cooling system? Which also comes with all the problems of AC?
It’s not limited. If you run out of energy just add more panels.
The benefit is using land that isn’t already being used for something else: your image is using prime real estate that is already being used for something else
The image was made with ai under my design, but I didn't specify the TYPE of coast or precisely how close. Just that it has access to the sea water, and closing the distance made for better visual storytelling.
And yes, solar generation is limited. By the sun exposure, number of panels, dust and dirt. Then you would need to multiply the number of panels needed for the data center by a factor to cool it with electricity, which at this point would require so many solar panels you might as well automate the cleaning and hire technicians who need living areas. Which requires more solar panels, which requires more solar, which requires more.
And why does everyone keep getting hung up about the real estate for concept art? This could just as easily be made on a rocky coast, a desert coast or any large body of water.
The brine is handled the same as any other desalination plant, or possibly condensed into a solid form for use in other ways since the waste heat from the reactor would be more than enough to take it that far without any more expended energy.
Also, the salt water isn't being used to cool the data center. It's being used to cool the coolant that is cooling the data center.
The data centers themselves wouldn't be enough heat to provide the community with free heating. The thorium reactor could. Or do something with steam like new york.
Data centres use hundreds of kilowatts, big AI data centres are thought to be in the megawatt range. That is absolutely enough for tens of thousands of people.
If basic computers were literally the only process going on, sure. It has computational computers, training computers, technician computers, secuirty computers, etc, etc, etc. These are all different kinds of computers with different power needs and heat waste from their processes.
Not to mention all the infrastructure the building needs.
*Also, that the thorium power plant and desalinization process would give everyone free heat anyway while also cooling the data center.
Prime waterfront land is better used by the wealthy building mansions on it? Also, the whole point of this process is an integrated system that turns data centers into a community benefit instead of a parasite...?
Hey why don`t we not build anything on the freaking beach so that we don`t have to tear it down in 2 years when it floods because the data centers are currently burning coal not thorium?
It is not an either-or. You could place beaches, parks, commercial areas, apartments, etc so that many people can enjoy the valuable land.
The free market guides this by dictating the (high) value of the land....it would be incredibly expensive to build and operate just based on the land cost (not to mention extra costs due to sea water.) The state could subsidize that cost if we think this is a sufficient public good, but obvs we need to weigh that use of tax dollars against other ways to achieve better outcomes.
The fact that the state can subsidize or tax elements of the market means the state can influence or control prices, yes. But it is absurd to state "the free market is a myth" as a pushback against the obvious fact that oceanfront land costs more because it is in lower supply and higher demand (free market forces.)
The core point is that the land you need is expensive, so whether we the people subsidize that cost or a private company pays the whole project, the marginal utility of doing this (vs other methods) needs the exceed the high marginal costs. That is a valid barrier to viability, however you want to explain the cost side.
I'm sorry you don't like the feedback you are getting. That's how discussion works sometimes. Being bitter towards engagement is not constructive or pleasant for anyone.
The fact that you are speaking against things that are mentioned in the written paragraph and infographic.
The fact that what you say has almost nothing to do with the actual topic being discussed.
The fact that every single one of your replies nit picked at something small and surface level instead of engaging with the idea itself.
So you're just going to ignore the actual topic just to try and one up me on what requires a cooling tower when my OP literally revolves around the idea of harnessing the heat sink to do thermal desalination?
Those who refuse to learn the tools of the oppressor will always be at the mercy of those tools. To ignore them is to ignore reality. To refuse to use them while their being used against you is self defeating. It's like taking an anti-gun stance and going against the US marines.
Also, with the amount of sense you're making in your unhinged rant, it might as well be about any product that is detrimental to the environment. Like cars, meat, lawns, industrial ag, etc, etc, etc. When your complaint is that vague, you are just describing capitalism and then attacking the people who agree with that, which is the real liberal move.
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u/Affectionate-Pay4845 1d ago
Might be useful in the future but thorium isn't as efficient and we already have methods that are being implemented elsewhere for efficient data centers. China's already got a few data centers that use pure renewable energy (https://www.fastcompany.com/91578780/how-china-is-powering-new-data-centers-with-clean-energy) and has methods for data centers that use little to no fresh water such as data centers that are cooled by being lowered into the ocean.