Google & Friends need more power!

Alright remember the mentions in my posts about Google put buildings and server farms near powerplants? This was in Google vs MicroHoo? and in Consumer Computing Services.

Now there is evidence that Microsoft, Yahoo! and Ask.com have done the same thing along the Columbia River in Washington State, and Google is credited with starting this new "arms race".
Here is the article from Harpers with more details. It's entitled: "Keyword: Evil"

With a title like that, this article is obviously targeting Google's efforts. It is written by Ginger Strand who is the author of "Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, & Lies".

Google's recently announced plans "to develop a gigawatt of new renewable energy" is questioned as they also have many other negotiations to draw energy direct from the grid (near power stations) at a lower cost. The article also puts questions on Google's tactics of getting tax breaks, state givebacks and subsidized power: "YouTube is bankrolled by us."

Well, we ARE getting gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, Picasa, Blogger, etc without paying upfront. These things are worth something...

The "arms race" points to all these companies' need to "compete to offer software, music, and videos over the Web in the new era if 'cloud computing'."

"Even if Google offsets its own energy use with green power or carbon credits, it cannot guarantee that its competitors will do the same. The company's motto is perhaps due for an addendum: 'Lead others not into temptation'."

This is not realistic. It is capitalism no matter what their current or future motto says. They have to remain competitive and that means on costs as well as services.

This is a great article for highlighting these issues but there are no solutions. (Nuclear anyone?).

"American data centers consumed more power than American televisions." Scary thought, but less people are watching TV now right? And they are buying Plasma TVs and LCD TVs which hog up less energy.

SIDENOTE: Heard from the last Web Wednesday Singapore - "The new color of the Green movement is blue.".