Today, up for adoption at River Bluffs Humane Society, is the little kitty who was one of our feral bunch born under our porch. There was a momma cat and SEVEN kitties that appeared in July. Here’s my first sighting of the mama cat:

A couple weeks later, momma and the kitties appeared, and were so thin and hungry, we started feeding them and looking for a shelter that could take them in… Good luck with that…

And then a few weeks later, they scattered, some out onto West Ave and crossed it and up above in bushes. Some folks got together and captured mom and three of the kitties and took them home to care for them and eventually found people to take them in. They knew one other kitty was up above where they caught the three, but couldn’t catch that one.

During this time I was calling shelters all around the area, and NO ROOM IN THE INN.

Two were still here and we kept feeding and watering them, and sitting with them to turn them into socialists. Neighbor Mary found another one in bushes in a different location, so then there were three. But a week later or so, one disappeared, down to 2.

Then the drop trap I’d ordered arrived and we got them and I scheduled a vet appointment:

And then two days later, day of the vet appointment, the orange one disappeared. Learned that when I brought Maisy out and heard a little voice crying and crying… Barney was all alone and terrified.

All that was left of the orange kitty was a tuft of fur:

Quick set up Maisy’s downstairs crate and put it on the porch and got Barney to the vet.

Then about a week later, when I checked with the shelter, there was room! Dropped everything and ran Barney over there. He was scheduled for neuter, and we learned then that HE was a SHE and had to be rescheduled for a spay. I called up the vet and covered the cost of that, and it’s DONE!

Now he’s… errrr… SHE, is ready to go.

ADOPT THIS CAT!

Where?

Here we go again, a new bill to “STREAMLINE” transmission line permitting. As if our Minnesota 2024 legislative session wasn’t bad enough…

There’s been a LOT of talk about the energy use of data centers amongst the people, websites, and pages challenging data center proposals, there are MANY of them, at least 19, in Minnesota, in various stages from whispers to active to withdrawn:

• Rosemount – 4 active projects: Dakota East, Rich Valley East, Rosemount Industrial, and U-More
• Farmington – Farmington West and Farmington Tech Park
• Becker – Xcel – WITHDRAWN
• Chaska – no documentation yet
• Cannon Falls Industrial (the one I’m most familiar with)
• North Mankato – subject of MCEA lawsuit
• Hampton Industrial – Tech Park
• Lakeville Industrial – also subject of MCEA lawsuit
• Apple Valley – Tech Campus? Rockport Data Center?
• Eagan – thompson Reuters – ?? add to existing small one?
• Northfield – old and ? inactive
• Pine Island – Skyway
• Hermantown
• Faribault – Archer Data Center – Not AUAR – EAW?
• Monticello Tech/Monticello Industrial Park
• Monticello – Scannell Technology Park
• Others I’m missing? Let me know in comments!!

What bothers me is the histrionics, with zero specific information. The AUARs that I’ve seen say nothing about energy use, and those I’ve asked about it, particularly those spouting off about energy use, do not have any details. AAARGH. And the DOE says, “This load growth is not historically unprecedented and presents an economic opportunity.” So deep breathe???

I have found some info on tract’s page showing some in the ground and operating projects, tract data centers showing acreage and MW, which is helpful. Here’s the page, and here’s one example:

And the “project detail” page: https://www.tract.com/project/medina-technology-pa

But yesterday a friend sent an article with a couple of studies linked. First the article:

Researchers Just Found Something Extremely Alarming About AI’s Power Usage

And now the studies & reports:

Artificial intelligence: Supply chain constraints and energy implications (need to sign up to download)

And an EPRI Report (these have been so helpful over the years, particularly in coal gasification!):

And from that EPRI report, this map that is circulating:

Followed by Berkeley Lab:

From the Dept. of Energy:

• How AI Can Help Clean Energy Meet Growing Electricity Demand:
• Reports across the United States highlight a rapid increase in projected electricity demand, partly driven by growth from artificial intelligence (AI) and data center energy use.  This load growth is not historically unprecedented and presents an economic opportunity. In fact, DOE has more solutions and technologies available today than it did during previous decades of load growth to help meet growing demand. However, deploying these solutions in the near-term is incumbent on our ability to permit and build clean energy infrastructure.  
• AI FOR ENERGY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR A MODERN GRID AND CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY

A Congressional report with a LOT of links:

Data Centers and Their Energy Consumption: Frequently Asked Questions

Speaking of rabbit holes, this Congressional report has this most strange paragraph:

Footnote 69: Notice of Agreement, Tex. Blockchain Council v. Dep’t of Energy, No. 6:24-cv-99 (W.D. Tex. Mar. 1, 2024), ECF No. 24

The agreement — just WOW (is it a surprise there’s so little information available?):

And back to energy use by data centers, another article and links there:

We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard.

• DOE Releases New Report Evaluating Increase in Electricity Demand from Data Centers

There’s an ICF report that I can’t get at… GOT IT!!

A couple of blurbs from our friends at Goldman Sachs:

For this one, note the little downward arrows — click to expand:

How AI Is Transforming Data Centers and Ramping Up Power Demand

And…

A while back, well, 4 years ago, I learned of the Norwegian Supreme Court’s ruling re: Fosen Vind, built on reindeer herding area — scroll down for the decision in English:

Norwegian Supreme Court rules against wind project

October 11th, 2021

Before the court in 2021:

The Norwegian Supreme Court case is now published in English!

And yes, the license decisions were deemed invalid. Starting to dig into this and see if there are lessons applicable to wind in the U.S., and of course MINNESOTA!

A rundown of this mess, from Wiki in “simple English”

(Search, and you’ll see that most of the articles are in Norwegian)

A year after Supreme Court verdict, Fosen wind farm still stands amid soaring energy crisis

VIDEO: June, 2023 — does this not remind you of a smaller version of DAPL pipeline in North Dakota?

From last year:

Norway and the Sami people end a dispute over Europe’s largest onshore wind farm

Agreement between Nord-Fosen siida and Roan Vind

• Letter from the Minister to Nord-Fosen siida and Roan Vind (in norwegian) (PDF)
• The agreement between Nord-Fosen siida and Roan Vind can be found at Aneos website (in norwegian) (PDF)

Activists in Norway charged after blocking entrances to government offices to protest wind farm impact

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Soon, due to a sinkhole on Norway’s E6, the main connector South to North, I’ll be there, at the Storheia part of Fosen Vind, known as the “North Fosen” site, on Nord-Fosen Siida land. Until then, I’ll be learning more about this.

Well drat, just learned this, can’t really stop by to say HEI:

And up the road a bit, a monster substation:

This must be Roan, and looks a lot like the wind projects along the Columbia River:

If you can bear to listen to it… I can’t.