Yes, and Yes

Can a large data center be built away from water resources and be independently powered?

Absolutely. A large data center can operate without being near a river, lake, or major municipal water supply by using closed-loop liquid cooling combined with dry coolers or air-cooled chillers.

This avoids evaporative cooling towers, which are responsible for most operational water consumption. The tradeoff is that dry cooling can require more electricity and additional equipment during hot weather.

Even so, a large data center can also be independently powered, without taking needed grid power or electricity from jurisdictions. This means developers and data center operators have to spend more when building new data centers, which can be made to happen by the federal government or state and local governments with public pressure.

Making this happen is part of the Farmed mission as well as that of our partner organizations. It can happen with a reliable design that would combine:

1. An oversized wind-and-solar installation

2. Utility-scale battery storage

3. A high-voltage substation and grid connection

4. UPS systems for instantaneous backup

5. A firm backup source for extended cloudy or low-wind periods

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identifies solar, wind, batteries, and efficiency as rapidly scalable options for federal data centers, while noting this kind of reliable power remains crucial for continuous operation. This is why the power solution is multifaceted — a wind or solar farm alone is not enough.