December 29, 2024 – According to a special report released by Bloomberg, monitoring data from approximately one million residential power quality sensors across the United States indicates a decline in power quality in areas near large data centers. The report highlights that the most significant power quality degradation typically occurs within a 50-mile radius of these large data centers, affecting nearly 3.7 million American residents. Such degradation can shorten the lifespan of household appliances and potentially cause malfunctions, overheating, or even electrical fires.
The report’s data originates from Whisker Labs’ Ting devices, smart sensors capable of monitoring a home’s overall power quality and aiding in the prevention of electrical fires. Currently, over one million Ting devices are deployed across the United States, with nearly 90% of American households having one such sensor within a half-mile radius. These sensors provide Whisker Labs with detailed data, enabling them to understand the average household power quality in specific regions.
Bob Marshall, CEO of Whisker Labs, likened harmonics, which can indicate early signs of stress and problems, to the static noise emitted when a speaker is overloaded. However, some power providers in affected areas have challenged these claims.
John Schoen, a spokesman for Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), the utility company supplying power to the Chicago area, expressed strong doubts about the accuracy and underlying assumptions of Whisker Labs’ findings. He pointed out that Ting devices are installed within households and thus cannot directly measure grid harmonics.
Similarly, Dominion Energy, a Virginia-based power provider, stated that they had not detected the level of distortion mentioned in the Whisker Labs report. They asserted that their measurements align with industry standards, adding that any above-normal disturbances are typically due to unusual configurations or initial issues with new equipment, which are promptly resolved.
Bloomberg emphasized that while there are simple solutions to address these issues, and some are already in development, power companies should still investigate the data provided by Whisker Labs. This is especially important when hundreds of households report problems, which might indicate issues with the buildings’ internal electrical infrastructure. If the problem affects millions of Americans, it could be symptomatic of a broader grid issue.
