While Google’s power consumption dwarfs that of most residences and small businesses, its ranking among other data centres is comparatively low. According to a new report by Jonathan Koomey, Google is responsible for less than 1 per cent of electricity used by data centres worldwide and only 0.01 per cent of total worldwide electricity usage.
These low numbers can be attributed to efficiency in Google’s server infrastructure. For the past several years, Google has kept its eye on alternative energy sources and green technology. It looks like that focus is paying off. [Jonathan Koomey via DataCenter Knowledge]
olearymo
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 4:08 PMWow. Well, good on ya Google. Not only is it not hogging all the electricity, it pays off financially for them in the end too.
Chris M
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 4:19 PMYou’d be surprised at just how much renewable energy Google has invested in.
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/04/21/google-buys-wind-power-to-green-oklahoma-grid/
Phill Ohren
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 5:28 PMI’m not surprised by this at all. Have you seen their wave powered servers? http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/09/06/google-planning-offshore-data-barges/
Lee
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7:19 PMI’m glad Gizmodo felt the need to state the Google’s power consumption dwarfs most residences – can anyone think of a residence that would come close to using the power Google does? Is the qualifier “most” really warranted here, or could it be omitted all together?
Also, using “Green” energy has no impact on reducing Google’s energy consumption, a fact that seems lost on the author and some commentators. A watt is a watt is a watt regardless of whether it is derived from coal, oil, nuclear fission or wind. Hence I fail to understand how Google’s focus on renewable energy is responsible for its low energy consumption figures, as implied by the article.
olearymo
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 8:54 AMLee the concept isn’t about them using less power overall. It’s about them using less of the power that we all share. Generating their own means they take less from the general ‘pool’ we’re all using.
Nick
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 9:33 PMIf Lee had bothered to either properly read the Gizmodo article “low numbers can be attributed to efficiency in Google’s server infrastructure,” or indeed read ANY of the the source article “Low-Power Servers, High Efficiency Data Centers,” he would understand that at no point does the anyone suggest that green energy is responsible for a reduction in google’s nett energy consumption, and that any reference to Google’s adoption green energy is simply an acknowledgement of the positive consequences of Google’s environmental awareness…