Understand the technology.
Ask the hard questions.

Will it strain the power grid or affect household rates?

A large campus can request extraordinary electrical capacity. The schedule, interconnection design, new infrastructure, rate class, and ability to reduce load during grid stress all matter.

Require a transparent interconnection plan, dedicated upgrades where appropriate, phased energization, fair cost allocation, flexible-load capability, and public explanation of who pays.

What is the requested peak load, when will each phase energize, what new equipment is required, and which customers bear each cost?

How much water will it use during drought?

Water demand varies widely by cooling system, climate, workload, operating temperature, and whether the project uses potable, reclaimed, or other water. A single industry average cannot answer a local question.

Set a site-specific annual and peak-day water budget; disclose WUE; compare dry, hybrid, closed-loop, and reclaimed-water options; and adopt an enforceable drought plan.

What are average-day and peak-summer use, the water source, WUE, blowdown volume, drought stages, and the cooling mode used during each stage?

What about diesel exhaust and local air quality?

Emergency engines and onsite generation can emit pollutants. The number, fuel, size, operating purpose, testing schedule, and applicable authorization determine the local risk.

Publish the complete equipment list and air authorization; use cleaner equipment and controls; limit and coordinate testing; track run hours; and report non-emergency operation.

How many engines are proposed, what permits or rules apply, how many hours may they run, and where are the nearest homes, schools, and clinics?

Will neighbors hear it day and night?

Cooling equipment, transformers, rooftop systems, truck activity, and generator testing can create tonal or low-frequency noise that a simple daytime reading may miss.

Complete preconstruction sound modeling; use setbacks, acoustic walls, quieter equipment, and enclosures; limit testing hours; and establish an enforceable property-line standard.

What are predicted nighttime levels by frequency, where were receptors modeled, what is the testing schedule, and who investigates complaints?

How will construction, land use, and traffic affect the area?

A multi-building campus can change drainage, road demand, views, lighting, emergency access, and nearby land use long before operations begin.

Require traffic and drainage studies, construction routing and hours, dark-sky lighting, screened equipment, setbacks, road-repair terms, and funded emergency-response planning.

Which roads carry workers and equipment, who funds upgrades and repairs, how is runoff managed, and what buffers protect adjacent property?

Are the job numbers being overstated?

Construction, supplier, induced, and permanent onsite jobs are different categories. Announcements can sound larger than the long-term local payroll if those categories are combined.

Publish each category separately with timing and pay ranges; create local training and apprenticeship pathways; track local hiring; and recruit suppliers and follow-on industries.

How many direct permanent jobs will exist by year, what do they pay, which credentials are required, and how will local residents qualify?

Are tax incentives worth the public cost?

A large assessed value does not automatically produce the same amount of usable public revenue. Exemptions, abatements, infrastructure costs, service demands, and agreement terms change the result.

Use an independent fiscal analysis; publish the agreement and assumptions; tie benefits to verified milestones; include clawbacks; and measure infrastructure, workforce, and community outcomes.

What revenue arrives each year, what public costs are excluded from the headline number, what is guaranteed, and what happens if commitments are missed?

What happens to old equipment—or if the project closes?

Servers, batteries, cooling equipment, fuel systems, and buildings eventually reach end of life. Data security and responsible material handling matter during refreshes and closure.

Require a reuse and certified-recycling policy, secure data destruction, battery and hazardous-material procedures, a decommissioning plan, and financial assurance where appropriate.

Which recycling standards will vendors meet, how are batteries handled, who owns closure costs, and what reuse plan exists for the land and buildings?