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Google Details Electricity Usage of Its Data Centers
nytimes.com ^ | Sept 8 2011 | Glanz

Posted on 09/08/2011 2:33:10 PM PDT by NoLibZone

Google released what was once among its most closely guarded secrets on Thursday: how much electricity its enormous computing facilities consume.

The company said that its data centers continuously drew almost 260 million watts — about a quarter of the output of a nuclear power plant — to run Google searches, YouTube views, Gmail messaging and display ads on all those services around the world.

Though the electricity figure may seem large, the company asserts that the world is using less energy as a result of the billions of operations carried out in Google data centers. Google says people should consider things like the amount of gasoline saved when someone conducts a Google search rather than, say, driving to the library. “They look big in the small context,” Urs Hoelzle, Google’s senior vice president of technical infrastructure, said in an interview.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Extended News; US: California
KEYWORDS: carbon; energy; google

1 posted on 09/08/2011 2:33:15 PM PDT by NoLibZone
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To: NoLibZone

Drudge:

GOOGLE POWER PIG: USES 260 MILLION WATTS!
MORE THAN SALT LAKE CITY


2 posted on 09/08/2011 2:34:25 PM PDT by NoLibZone (Democrats are violent. Prisons are overflowing with democrats convicted of violent crimes.)
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To: NoLibZone

I’ll bet none of it comes from windmills either.


3 posted on 09/08/2011 2:39:35 PM PDT by Argus
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To: NoLibZone

It’s a shame that they think they have to apologize for their electricity usage — WHICH THEY PAY FOR! But, they’re liberals.


4 posted on 09/08/2011 2:39:54 PM PDT by BfloGuy (Keynesians take the stand that the best way to sober up is more booze.)
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To: NoLibZone

5 posted on 09/08/2011 2:39:59 PM PDT by Christian Engineer Mass (25ish Cambridge MA grad student. Many conservative Christians my age out there? __ Click my name)
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To: NoLibZone

Did Google pay for it? Yes? Then they can use as mucn as they damn well please.


6 posted on 09/08/2011 2:46:11 PM PDT by Joe Bfstplk (People should enjoy the fruits of their labor. No labor, no fruit.)
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To: Argus

They claim:

In part because of special arrangements the company has made to purchase electricity from wind farms, Google says that 25 percent of its energy is supplied by renewable fuels, and estimates that it will reach 30 percent in 2011.


7 posted on 09/08/2011 2:47:24 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: NoLibZone

A breakdown of the 260 Millions Watts:

5 Million - Maps, driving directions
15 Million - News
40 Million - YouTube, mostly video searches on ‘Cats Funny’
100 Million - Porn


8 posted on 09/08/2011 2:49:33 PM PDT by Made In The USA (This post may be recorded for quality purposes.)
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To: Made In The USA

Your math’s off - make that “200 million - Porn”.


9 posted on 09/08/2011 3:04:03 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: NoLibZone

Wait 'til they get to one point twenty-one jigawatts!

10 posted on 09/08/2011 3:18:43 PM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: NoLibZone
about a quarter of the output of a nuclear power plant

This needs to be translated to coal plants.

11 posted on 09/08/2011 3:20:41 PM PDT by aimhigh
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To: BfloGuy
It’s a shame that they think they have to apologize for their electricity usage — WHICH THEY PAY FOR! But, they’re liberals.

Not only are they liberals...they're uber-green.

The CEO is one of Obama's favorite go-to guys.

Shareholders have been after them for some time to divulge these details.

12 posted on 09/08/2011 3:27:46 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: Argus

Some of it comes from “Bloom boxes”.


13 posted on 09/08/2011 3:54:55 PM PDT by Ed Condon (Give 'em a heading, an altitude, and a reason.)
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To: NoLibZone
about a quarter of the output of a nuclear power plant

Nuclear?!?!?!

Oh No! That must be bad!

14 posted on 09/08/2011 4:00:05 PM PDT by glorgau
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Google rocks, but it needs to work harder neutrality. Power up!


15 posted on 09/08/2011 6:44:57 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been Redistributed. Here's your damn Change!)
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Google rocks, but it needs to work harder on political neutrality (not “Net Neutrality”) ... Power up!


16 posted on 09/08/2011 6:46:41 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been Redistributed. Here's your damn Change!)
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To: Argus

No, but they do have solar panels installed on their headquarters and some of their data centers.


17 posted on 09/08/2011 7:00:31 PM PDT by Jonty30
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