‘Curious Conversations’ podcast: Landon Marston talks about data centers and water
Landon Marston joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the relationship between data centers and water usage. Marston explained the amount of water used by data centers, what they’re doing with it, and the reality of the national and local impacts. He also shared aspects localities might consider before welcoming a new center.
“Curious Conversations” is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
Takeaways
Data centers overall water usage is low at the national level, large data centers can exert significant pressure on individual localities’ water resources and infrastructure.
A primary way data centers use large amounts of water is by using evaporative cooling to dissipate the large amounts of heat they generate.
Unlike typical household water usage, where water can be treated and returned to the system, much of the water used by data centers is evaporated, effectively making it unavailable to other local users.
About Marston
Marston is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he specializes in water resources engineering. His research focuses on the sustainability of water systems and the complex interconnections between water, energy, food, and infrastructure.
Learn more
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About the podcast
"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday.
