Grid Reform
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Grid Reform?
Grid Reform is an energy developer. We're a team that has spent decades working in utilities, infrastructure, and power projects. We know how the electric grid works because we've spent our careers working on it.
The truth is, the U.S. power system wasn't originally built for the environment we see today. The increase in the number of businesses and the technology required to run those businesses, together with the added demand for electricity, means we need new solutions. That’s where our team steps in.
We develop data center projects that bring jobs, tax revenue, and economic opportunity to local communities while ensuring that we listen to local concerns. We believe development should happen with a community, not to it.
Below are answers to some of the most common questions we hear about data centers.
What is a data center? Isn’t this just AI?
AI is in most headlines these days, but data centers do much more than support artificial intelligence.
Many of your everyday tasks rely on data centers: from using your bank account to pay bills, streaming movies, sending emails and storing family photos; all that digital information needs to “live” somewhere.
A data center is a warehouse for digital information. That means that information that used to be stored as paper versions is now stored electronically within these data centers where the space and equipment needed to make that possible exists.Simply put, data centers are part of the backbone that keeps the modern world running.
How much water do data centers actually use?
Grid Reform's projects primarily use a closed-loop cooling system, which recirculates water rather than constantly consuming it.
For a typical 100-megawatt data center using this technology, annual water use is about 1.5 acre-feet per year. To put that into perspective that is about 10% of the average annual water consumption of a supermarket, such as Walmart, and less than five U.S. household’s annual average consumption.
The cooling system requires an initial one-time fill of approximately 3 acre-feet of water. The filling process can be spread over days or weeks and is coordinated with local water vendors to avoid straining local infrastructure.
I heard data centers are loud and disruptive.
Nobody wants a noisy neighbor, and we don't either.
The primary sources of sound at a data center are cooling equipment and emergency backup generators. Before a project is built, we carefully evaluate equipment selection, site layout, screening, sound barriers, and other design features to keep noise levels low.
We also conduct professional sound studies to ensure our facilities comply with all local noise regulations and ordinances.
Do data centers cause your utility bills to increase?
Our goal is to build projects that enhance local reliability and strengthen the energy system rather than burden it.
Grid Reform accomplishes this by working directly with utility companies to ensure our projects absorb the full cost of the power infrastructure needed at each location. That includes new generation resources, sub-stations, transmission upgrades, and other improvements required to connect the project to the electric grid. In many cases, these projects may strengthen the local power system by adding new generation resources and improving the overall infrastructure.
Data centers also become large utility customers that contribute significant revenue to the local utility, helping spread the utility's costs across a larger customer base.
Do data centers create any jobs?
A typical 100-megawatt data center can support up to 40 direct full-time jobs and roughly 60 additional indirect jobs throughout the community.
Those indirect jobs include positions such as electricians, mechanics, maintenance professionals, construction workers, teachers, healthcare workers and other local service providers
During construction, which often lasts one to two years, hundreds of additional workers may be employed to build the facility, which further strengthens the community’s economic position.
When measured on a jobs per acre basis, data centers often provide comparable employment levels (and even exceed) to many other industrial uses, including self-storage facilities, car dealerships, motels, convenience stores, and outdoor industrial storage sites.
Do data centers increase emissions?
Electricity generation can create emissions depending on how that power is produced.
Traditional coal and natural gas power plants emit pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, Grid Reform's projects connect to the broader electric grid, which increasingly includes renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and battery storage.
Large electricity users like data centers can help support the development of new energy resources by creating demand that justifies investment in additional generation capacity, including renewable energy projects.
Some data centers also include emergency on-site backup generators designed to preserve stability during impactful weather events such as severe storms, power outages, or transmission failures. These are permitted to operate only for limited hours each year and must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local environmental requirements.
Our Commtiment
We understand that any new development raises questions. That's why we believe in being transparent, listening to local concerns, and sharing information based upon facts rather than assumptions.
Our goal is clear: to build projects that create jobs, strengthen local infrastructure, support economic growth, and become a positive part of the communities where we operate.
Proudly written by a real-life human. No robots were harmed in the crafting of this message.