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Data Centers: Competition or opportunity for energy cost and water management?

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Thursday, September 24 202609:00 - 09:45
204ABC
Data Centers: Competition or opportunity for energy cost and water management?
As AI and cloud computing drive rapid growth in data centers across North America, demand for both energy and water resources is increasing dramatically. For greenhouse growers, this creates both challenges and opportunities. Data centers compete for critical infrastructure capacity, including power and water, yet they may also offer new opportunities through shared resources, waste heat utilization, and innovative public-private partnerships.
In this session, a range of industry stakeholders will explore how the CEA business model could be reshaped through smarter energy and water management, shared infrastructure, and strategic collaboration. Join the discussion to gain insights into one of the most important developments shaping the future of greenhouse production, resource efficiency, and long-term profitability.
 

Speakers

Moderator: Derek Smith
Moderator: Derek SmithExecutive DirectorResource Innovation Insitute

Derek Smith is Executive Director of Resource Innovation Institute (RII), which develops strategies and tools to scale CEA as a solution to global food and resource challenges.  

Derek recently led RII’s partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to advance the US Dept. of Energy-funded CEA Market Accelerator, which developed resources to improve the resource efficiency of greenhouse siting, construction, and operation.  

Derek is currently working with Virginia, North Dakota, and other states preparing public-private financing models to dramatically lower CapEx and OpEx for CEA operators, including through colocation with data centers. 

Joe Hines
Joe HinesSenior Principal and Director of Economic DevelopmentTimmons Engineering

Currently a Sr. Principal and Director of Economic Development / Site Selection at Timmons Group, a Nationwide Site Selection, Consulting Engineering and Technology firm. A recognized expert in site selection, infrastructure and site preparedness, he routinely presents to local, state and regional organizations and various conferences on what it takes to be “Prospect Ready”. 

Bryan David
Bryan DavidEconomic and Community Development | Local Government SpecialistUniversity of Virginia

With over 30 years of professional experience, Bryan has served rural Virginia localities as a County Administrator and held other local government leadership positions. He also led Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership-Economic Development Council, which served the Lynchburg metropolitan region. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, a postgraduate Certificate in Litigation from the National Center for Paralegal Training, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampden-Sydney College. He is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation Board of Directors, Chair of the Council for Rural Virginia, member of the Virginia Rural Leadership Institute Advisory Committee, and member of the James Solomon Russell - Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives Advisory Board.

Willem Jan Hoogduin
Willem Jan HoogduinSales ConsultantCerthon

Willem Jan Hoogduin is a Sales Consultant at Certhon, where he’s specialized in helping customers develop future-proof horticultural projects. By integrating greenhouse construction with climate, irrigation, lighting, energy, propagation, and automation into one intelligent growing environment. Every system works together, so your crop can perform at its best.

As energy and water become increasingly critical resources, we look beyond the greenhouse itself. Certhon is exploring existing products that connect horticulture with other industries, including data centers. By combining shared infrastructure, renewable energy, waste heat, water management, and advanced climate control, we see opportunities to turn resource competition into collaboration.