this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2024
362 points (96.6% liked)
Technology
59161 readers
2294 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I don't care how they estimate their cost in dollars. I think the cost to all of us in environmental impact would be more interesting.
Unless they're finding exciting new and efficient ways to generate electricity, I imagine its a linear comparison. Maybe some are worse than others. I know Grok's datacenter in Mississippi is relying exclusively on portable gas powered electric generators that are wrecking havoc on the local environment.
Gas like natural gas? Or gas like gasoline? I'm sure it's the former, but I take nothing for granted anymore.
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/11/nx-s1-5088134/elon-musk-ai-xai-supercomputer-memphis-pollution
Methane gas engines
Methane gas isn't a fossil fuel though, and I believe it's actually better for the environment to burn it than simply release it, at least as far as global warming goes.
It's a primary byproduct of Y-Grade gas during fractionation. But it is also less energy dense than your pricier fuels and and lighter. If you're not using good compression you might as well be venting the fuel as fast as you burn it.
Is it? I thought they were burning landfill or swamp gas.
You can get it there, too, but when it's already mixed with air you're forced to do the math of how much energy is in the methane versus how much it costs to distill out of the nitrogen and oxygen.