The credible grade for the data-center fight.
GridWatcher turns complex public records into an objective A–F transparency score for US data-center developments — so residents, local leaders, and journalists know what's really being proposed in their county.
Like a bond rating for data centers — every grade built from verified public records and a published, deterministic methodology.
Every grade is sourced. None are faked.
A live example from our index. Where a project discloses nothing on a pillar, we mark it Insufficient Disclosure — we never invent a number to fill the gap. That discipline is the whole point.
Grid is a statewide strain context (VA / PJM · Dominion), not a per-project measurement. Energy reflects a VA DEQ air-permit disclosure proxy, not a measured megawatt figure.
Ingest → grade → act.
We pull every public source for every state, grade only what's actually disclosed, and publish the letter with its receipts. Opacity is a grade, never a gap to fake.
Grid & energy strain
Interconnection queues, utility load context, and onsite generation permits — how much the project leans on the public grid.
Water & environmental footprint
Cooling water draw, watershed stress, and air/emissions permits from EPA and state environmental agencies.
Subsidies & public process
Tax abatements, NDAs, rezoning transparency, and how open the public hearing and disclosure process actually was.
Thin data can't earn an A
An opacity cap holds down any project that discloses little — a low grade is a verdict on disclosure, not a slur on the project.
Turn the fight into facts.
Free, practical walk-throughs — whether you're a resident who just saw a rezoning notice or a leader preparing for a hearing.
Built for everyone at the table.
Residents & communities
- Is a data center coming to my town?
- Water, noise & property impact
- What to ask before the vote
Leaders & officials
- Model ordinances & benchmarks
- Tax-abatement trade-offs
- Rezoning best practices
Journalists & researchers
- Sourced, per-project datasets
- NDA & subsidy transparency
- State-by-state comparisons
Independent by design
A grade is only worth what its independence guarantees. GridWatcher’s scoring is driven entirely by public records and a published methodology — a developer can pay for a subscription, but never for a better grade.
- Grades can’t be bought. No developer can sponsor, influence, or edit its own score — ever.
- Public-record citations. Every score links to a verifiable government document.
- Deterministic scoring. Grades come from an open, published methodology — non-partisan, data-first.
Get verified data before the zoning vote.
We're indexing public records across every major US data-center corridor. Apply to join the early-access review list — we prioritize county rollout by where the need is greatest.