Sears/Spanberger polls, Rural turnout problem for GOP in '25, basics on water and data centers
Elton John, Madonna, and Boyz II Men
2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Race - Zoom
Tuesday evening 7pm with WPA’s Amanda Iovino.
Click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TizqmdkCQQmil0qqC7wJrg
We’ll discuss two topics - recent polling on 2025 race for Governor between Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears vs. former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and violence against business leaders.
Register at the link above!
Bottom Line: It looks like a generic partisan poll since neither candidate has really done much beyond campaigning inside her respective party for the nomination.
Former Governor Doug Wilder offered his thoughts on the race in this article Democrats risk same mistake that gave them Youngkin, Wilder says
On Spanberger:
Wilder said he has spoken to Spanberger and expects to do so again. His concern is that she hasn’t proved herself to the entire Democratic party base.
“What does Spanberger bring to the table that would attract all of the constituent parts of the party that would be necessary for her to win?” he asked.
On Earle-Sears:
…Wilder also expressed reservations about her.
“If you had to look at Winsome Sears’ accomplishments over the last four years, what would that be?” he asked. “Winsome doesn’t have a record to show what has been accomplished under her watch.”
Recent columns over at Virginia FREE:
Special elections here in Virginia and CURRENT water crisis in Richmond
Spoiler alert: GOP could have a rural turnout problem in ‘25
Spoiler alert: Water’s complicated and takes a lot of energy to move it.
Sign up at Virginia FREE for Virginia centric politics. This newsletter will be moving towards more national politics.
BUT…
Friday front page Richmond Times Dispatch:
Spoiler alert: Actually plugging in the generator helps.
Data Center 101
Data centers are complex facilities that serve as the backbone of our digital infrastructure.
Here's how they work:
Core Components:
Physical Infrastructure:
- Secure buildings with controlled access
- Raised floors for cooling and cable management
- Redundant power systems with backup generators
- Multiple internet connections from different providers
- Fire suppression systems
- Environmental controls for temperature and humidity
Computing Equipment:
- Servers arranged in racks
- Network switches and routers
- Storage systems
- Load balancers
- Security appliances
Power Systems:
- Multiple power feeds from different electrical grids
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems
- Diesel generators for extended outages
- Power Distribution Units (PDUs)
- Advanced electrical monitoring systems
Cooling Infrastructure:
- Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units
- Hot aisle/cold aisle arrangements
- Liquid cooling for high-density racks
- Air handlers and chillers
- Temperature and humidity sensors
Operations:
- 24/7 monitoring and management
- Regular maintenance schedules
- Security staff and systems
- Network operations center
- Incident response teams
Modern data centers also emphasize:
- Energy efficiency and sustainability
- High availability through redundancy
- Scalability to meet growing demands
- Physical and cybersecurity
- Compliance with various regulations
Data centers consume massive amounts of energy. Here's a breakdown:
Global Impact:
- Data centers use about 1-2% of global electricity consumption
- In 2022, global data centers used approximately 240-340 TWh of electricity
- A single large data center can use as much electricity as a small town
Power Usage Examples:
- A typical rack of servers consumes 7-20 kW
- Large data centers can use 100+ megawatts of power
- Hyperscale facilities (like those run by Google or Amazon) can use 500+ megawatts
Energy Distribution:
- Servers and IT equipment: 40-45% of total energy use
- Cooling systems: 30-40%
- Power distribution losses: 10-15%
- Other (lighting, security, etc.): 5-10%
Power Efficiency:
- Measured using Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)
- Industry average PUE is around 1.57
- Best-in-class facilities achieve PUE of 1.1-1.2
- Google reports their data centers average 1.10 PUE
Companies are working to reduce this impact through:
- Using renewable energy sources
- Implementing more efficient cooling systems
- Designing more energy-efficient servers
- Using AI to optimize power usage
- Locating facilities in cooler climates to reduce cooling needs