← All glossary terms

Land, Permitting, and Environmental

Conditional use permit

Conditional use permit is similar to special use permit and authorizes a use subject to conditions designed to address local impacts. Terminology varies by jurisdiction, so the local code controls.

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Congestion

Congestion occurs when transmission limits prevent the lowest-cost generation from serving load freely. It can raise local prices, create interconnection upgrade needs, and signal grid bottlenecks near attractive data center markets.

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Entitlement

Entitlement is the set of legal approvals needed to develop and use a site as intended. In data center development, entitlement risk can include zoning, site plan, environmental permits, utility approvals, road improvements, and political acceptance.

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Power factor

Power factor is the ratio of real power to apparent power. A lower power factor means more current is needed to deliver the same useful kW, which can affect utility charges, transformer loading, conductor sizing, and conversion between kVA and kW.

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