Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms used across this site.
Data centers and computing
- Cloud computing
- Software and storage hosted on remote servers and accessed over the internet, rather than running on a local computer. Almost all major online services use cloud computing.
- Closed-loop cooling
- A cooling system that recirculates the same water (or other fluid) through the building rather than evaporating it. Uses much less water than evaporative cooling.
- Colocation
- A data center model where many tenants rent space in a shared building.
- Edge data center
- A small data center placed close to end users to reduce delay. Not the kind being proposed at Utah scale.
- Evaporative cooling
- A cooling method that uses water evaporation to absorb heat. Effective and energy-efficient, but water-intensive.
- Hyperscale
- A very large data center, typically operated by a single cloud or AI company. Modern hyperscale campuses can require hundreds of megawatts of power.
- Latency
- The delay between a user action and a server response. Lower latency is generally better.
- PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness)
- A measure of how efficiently a data center uses energy. Lower numbers (closer to 1.0) are better. Modern facilities often run between 1.1 and 1.5.
- Rack
- A standard frame that holds servers. A large data center may contain thousands of racks.
- Server
- A computer that stores data and runs software for other users or systems. Data centers contain large numbers of them.
Energy
- Baseload power
- Continuous, reliable power supply that runs around the clock. Nuclear, geothermal, and some natural gas plants provide baseload.
- Battery energy storage system (BESS)
- Large-scale battery banks used to store electricity for later use. Often paired with renewables or used as backup. Most use lithium-ion chemistry.
- Capacity factor
- The percentage of time a power source actually produces electricity at its rated output. Solar and wind have lower capacity factors than nuclear or gas.
- Co-located generation
- A power plant built on the same site as the facility it powers. Sometimes used for large data centers to avoid drawing on the grid.
- Gigawatt (GW)
- One billion watts, or 1,000 megawatts. The entire state of Utah currently uses roughly 4 gigawatts at peak.
- Grid
- The interconnected system of power plants, transmission lines, and distribution lines that delivers electricity.
- Kilowatt (kW)
- One thousand watts. A typical U.S. home uses roughly 1 kilowatt on average.
- Megawatt (MW)
- One million watts, or 1,000 kilowatts. A small city’s worth of electricity demand.
- Microgrid
- A self-contained power system that combines a large consumer, a baseload source, a backup source, long-duration storage, and a grid connection — able to operate independently of the wider grid when needed.
- Operation Gigawatt
- Utah’s state initiative, launched in 2024, to roughly double electricity production over ten years.
- Peak demand
- The highest level of electricity use during a given period. The grid must be sized to handle peak, not average, demand.
- Transmission
- The high-voltage lines that move electricity from power plants to local distribution networks.
Advanced nuclear
- Advanced reactor
- A general term for newer nuclear reactor designs, including small modular reactors and microreactors.
- Microreactor
- A very small nuclear reactor, typically 1 to 20 megawatts. Some designs are transportable.
- Modular reactor
- A reactor designed to be built in factory-produced modules and assembled on site, rather than built piece-by-piece in the field.
- NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
- The federal agency that licenses and regulates commercial nuclear reactors in the United States.
- Passive safety
- Safety features in newer reactor designs that rely on physics — gravity, natural circulation, expansion — rather than active intervention to shut down safely.
- SMR (Small Modular Reactor)
- A nuclear reactor smaller than traditional designs, typically 50 to 300 megawatts.
- Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus
- A federal program through which the Department of Energy is selecting sites for advanced nuclear deployment, research, and manufacturing. Utah has applied for a site in northwest Tooele County.
- Operation Windlord
- The name associated with the transport of an advanced microreactor (the Ward 250) into Utah for research activity in Emery County.
Air, emissions, and noise
- Criteria pollutants
- Six air pollutants regulated by the EPA: ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and lead.
- dBA (A-weighted decibels)
- A measure of sound that approximates how the human ear perceives ordinary, audible noise. The common unit for noise ordinances.
- dBC (C-weighted decibels)
- A measure of sound that captures more low-frequency energy than dBA. Better suited to measuring the tonal, narrow-band, low-frequency hum that data center cooling equipment can produce.
- NOx (nitrogen oxides)
- Air pollutants formed when fuels burn at high temperatures. Produced by natural gas turbines and diesel generators. Contribute to ozone formation and respiratory issues.
- Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10)
- Fine particles in the air. PM2.5 is small enough to enter the lungs and bloodstream. A major focus of Utah air quality regulation.
- SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction)
- A pollution-control technology that reduces nitrogen oxide emissions from generators and turbines, often using ammonia as the catalyst.
- Stack
- The vertical exhaust structure on a power plant or industrial facility. Taller stacks disperse emissions farther.
- Tier ratings (generators)
- EPA emissions standards for engines and generators. Higher tiers are cleaner; Tier IV is the most stringent commonly referenced for backup generators.
Water
- Aquifer
- An underground layer of water-bearing rock or sediment. The source of well water for many Utah communities.
- Consumptive use
- Water that is used and not returned to the source — typically because it evaporates or is incorporated into a product. Evaporative cooling is consumptive.
- Non-consumptive use
- Water that is used and returned to the source, often after treatment.
- Water rights
- The legal right to use a specified amount of water from a specific source. Allocated and tracked by the state.
Land and regulation
- Conditional use permit
- A permit allowing a specific use of land that’s not automatic under zoning but is allowed if certain conditions are met.
- EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)
- A federal document analyzing the environmental effects of a major project. Required for some — but not all — projects on federal land.
- FAR (Floor Area Ratio)
- The ratio of a building’s total floor area to the size of the lot it sits on. Used in zoning to control building bulk and compatibility with surroundings.
- General plan
- A county’s long-range planning document, setting goals for land use, transportation, housing, and resources.
- MIDA (Military Installation Development Authority)
- A state entity that creates project areas to support military installations and adjacent economic development. Active in Tooele and Box Elder counties.
- Project area
- A defined geographic zone with special development rules and financing tools, often used by MIDA and the Inland Port Authority.
- Right-of-way (ROW)
- The strip of land set aside for infrastructure such as a road or a power transmission line, including legal clearance on either side.
- Setback
- The required minimum distance between a building or facility and a property line, road, or other feature.
- Zoning
- The legal classification of land that determines what can be built on it. Changes require public process.
Economic terms
- EDTIF (Economic Development Tax Increment Financing)
- A Utah state program that provides post-performance tax rebates to qualifying projects.
- Inland port
- A logistics and industrial zone, not on a coast, with international shipping designation. Utah’s Inland Port Authority manages several project areas.
- Net fiscal impact
- The difference between the public revenue a project generates and the public costs it creates over a defined period.
- Post-performance
- An incentive structure where a developer receives a rebate only after meeting agreed milestones (jobs, investment, tax payments).