This is a terrible idea. We live in the digital age, so almost everything depends on data. As in all mechanical devices, generators have a tendency to either break down(Let's not forget about associated switching gear.) or become subject to maintenance cut backs instituted my buffoons in management. We cannot depend on human errors, we can depend on the electric grid, if properly handled and maintained. Depending on generators just adds another link in the failure chain.

Texas is the perfect example of how not to run an electrical grid by not allowing other states to assist in an emergency.

▲ hermitdev 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

> This is a terrible idea.

No, it isn't. Any decent datacenter will have on-site generation in event of power grid failure, anyway. When I was an intern, the company I worked for would routinely go off grid during the summer at a call from the electric company. The electric company actually gave us significant incentives to do so, because us running on our own 12MW generator was effectively like the grid operator farming out a 12MW peaker unit.

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bluGill 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

Not only will a data center of a generator, they will test it regularly and if it doesn't work get it fixed.

The power company has a long list of who has backup power. I know of one factory where the generator was installed in the 1920s on a boiler from the 1880's - it is horribly inefficient, but the power company still gives the owners incentive to keep it working because for 4x the normal cost of power and 12 hours notice that generator can run the entire town it is in, which they do every 5 years when things really go wrong with the grid.

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dylan604 3 days ago | parent [-]

> they will test it regularly and if it doesn't work get it fixed.

What is your definition of regularly, and what qualifies as getting it fixed? I know lots of places that had things scheduled, but on the day of, something "came up" that the test was pushed. I've seen others where they tested by only firing up the generator, but didn't actually use it to power the facility. I've also seen repair tags that sat "unlooked" at for years.

Not every facility is managed/financed the same for such a blanket statement as yours.

	▲	bluGill 3 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Most places I know of where like that until 'something' happened and now they take a lot more care.
	▲	mjcl 2 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		So this will force datacenters that employ "reliability theater" to either actually be reliable or give up the facade and take repeated outages? Ok!
	▲	bloomingeek 3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Exactly! And one of points, based on real work experience, I was trying to make.

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scotty79 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

There was recent news that a datacenter is going to be built that will consume few times more power than all homes in the state. I don't think they are gonna have on-site backup power. Although they'll probably have on-site powerplant for normal operations.

▲ _verandaguy 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

    > We live in the digital age, so almost everything depends on data

Data that I can't consume if my house is browned out and my router doesn't work (on top of heating/cooling, lights, and other basic living-related services that are less essential than the almighty ONT).

    > As in all mechanical devices, generators have a tendency to either break down(Let's not forget about associated switching gear.) or become subject to maintenance cut backs instituted my buffoons in management

Famously, power infrastructure relies on no moving parts whatsoever since the abolition of contactors, relays, rotors (but not stators), turbines (both water and wind), and control rod actuators, though even before abolition, none of these devices needed any maintenance.

    > We cannot depend on human errors, we can depend on the electric grid, if properly handled and maintained

The electric grid, which famously has no human or mechanical errors like line sag or weirdly-designed interconnects or poorly-timed load shedding.

    > Depending on generators just adds another link in the failure chain.

Weird way to frame a redundancy layer, but sure.

    > Texas is the perfect example of how not to run an electrical grid by not allowing other states to assist in an emergency.

Again, weird way to frame this. You're actually technically right about this, but the redundancy offered through a better-integrated interconnect goes both ways, rather than just externalizing weaknesses in TX's own interconnect design.

▲ vel0city 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> We live in the digital age, so almost everything depends on data

Agreed, the datacenters need to be extremely durable. What's more durable than proving you're able to withstand a power outage event? The grid does go down from time to time; they need to be ready to handle it. That's not a Texas-only kind of thing; power outages happen all over the US.

If the datacenter can't handle the outage that was announced as a probability ahead of time, they have no business running critical applications.

▲ joezydeco 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'm happier with Texas being independent. Why should my state brown out because a bunch of companies put data centers in the hottest part of the continent?

▲ Workaccount2 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Don't put all your digital services in a texas datacenter with no fallback then...

▲ 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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▲ darth_avocado 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The whole point of using a cloud data center is to be able to handle grid outages. I’d be using the cabinet under my table for otherwise.

▲ mothballed 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

IIRC the reason Texas cannot get 'assistance' from other states is that the feds made it illegal to connect to most interstate grids without following their regulatory regimes. I believe Texas does connect to Mexico and possible some other regional grids although I don't really understand the exemption for those.

In this case it's not really Texas 'not allowing' other states to help but the other states not allowing Texas. Conceivably federal law could be updated to remove those regulations and Texas would absolutely connect to the interstate grid at that point.

	▲	RHSeeger 3 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> Conceivably federal law could be updated to remove those regulations and Texas would absolutely connect to the interstate grid at that point. That, of course, ignores the fact that those regulations are in place for a reason. Texas refuses to play by the rules, and the impact of that is that they don't get help when it's important. It is unfortunate, but a direct consequence of the choices they made.
	▲	vel0city 3 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		The Texas Interconnection does tie in to surrounding grids through DC-ties. Those are limited in how much power can be sent through them and ultimately isolate the AC frequency.
	▲	more_corn 3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Rules like hardening your system to be resilient in high or low temperatures. Super abusive. Let’s do away with safety systems that literally save human lives. Heck Texas doesn’t like them so let’s do away with them for the whole nation? How many people died during the last couple heat and cold induced grid outages in Texas? I lost count after a couple dozen. But those people were weak or poor anyway right? Texas strong!