{"id":8694,"date":"2026-09-03T09:44:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forbes.co.il\/e\/?p=8694"},"modified":"2026-09-03T09:44:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:44:04","slug":"can-cleaner-data-centers-win-over-americas-nimbys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forbes.co.il\/e\/can-cleaner-data-centers-win-over-americas-nimbys\/","title":{"rendered":"Can ‘cleaner’ data centers win over America\u2019s NIMBYs?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

America\u2019s fight over data centers is becoming a mainstream political staple. Seven in ten Americans say they don\u2019t want <\/a>a data center near their home, and more people now believe these facilities harm their community than help it, according to recent polling cited by industry trackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposition has more than doubled across 49 states over the past year, and in the first quarter of 2026 alone, an estimated $130 billion in data center projects were blocked or delayed by local resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not even a culture war. The backlash against them cuts across party lines: Republicans tend to object on tax incentives and grid strain, whereas Democrats oppose on environmental and resource use. The reasons may differ, but their mutual opposition is a rare instance of bipartisan alignment<\/a> in American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Into this landscape steps Phinergy. It\u2019s an Israeli cleantech company whose aluminum-air backup generators have become an alternative to diesel in the AI infrastructure race, seeing early support from players in an impressive Google- and Microsoft-led innovation consortium. I spoke to its CEO Emmanuel Levy, who laid out a thesis that the \u201cNIMBY\u201d reflex against data centers collapses once three specific, solvable grievances are addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are caring about them and are afraid… whether it is pollution, whether it is noise, or it is water consumption,\u201d Levy told me. \u201cIf you\u2019re able to explain why a new data center can come without this price on the shared resources, you\u2019re able to bring the debate back to where it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a clean, testable claim. In Colorado Springs earlier this year<\/a>, a proposed data center drew objections almost identical to the ones Levy\u2019s technology is designed to neutralize: noise and air pollution from backup diesel generators, and water consumption. The developer countered with a water-efficient, closed-loop cooling design and pledged 60 to 100 permanent jobs. But it didn\u2019t defuse the fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime residents cited broken promises tied to a chip plant and a cryptocurrency mine previously sited on the same land, and the developer told local reporters he had never encountered this level of public opposition, despite having built a similar facility elsewhere without incident. The complaints were the same three Levy names, yet the outcome was not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n