Smoke Seen Rising from Virginia Data Center on July 3

Dark smoke rose from the ACC9 data center in Ashburn, Virginia, on July 3, according to photos and video reviewed by Business Insider. Bobby Chahal, a Leesburg resident, captured images of the smoke while driving through Ashburn that day. He stated he had seen comparable plumes from data centers the previous summer.

Data centers account for around 5 percent of participants in PJM's demand-response programs. Manufacturers represent 43 percent of demand-response capacity across the states served by the grid operator. PJM coordinates power generators, large loads, and utilities that supply electricity to roughly 20 percent of Americans.

A 2016 permit for the Digital Realty data center listed 20 Caterpillar diesel backup generators, each rated above 2 megawatts. PJM reported that approximately 3.25 gigawatts of generation resources operated outside normal limits during the weeklong heat wave that included the July 4 weekend.

Tax collections tied to a large Meta data center in Louisiana produced substantial bonuses for teachers in one part of that state.