Google’s "Don’t be evil" might not sit well with many techological junkies out there (including Steve Jobs), what with their constant surveillance of our personal emails, texts, searches, wi-fi harvesting and targeted advertising. Still, since 2007 Google has been making efforts to at least not be environmentally evil by investing in sustainable energy and improving the efficiency of their main datacenters.
Google has been on the forefront in terms of promoting renewable energy. In 2009 Google sponsored a renewable energy contest and offered $10 million for a company that could come up with the best wind turbine design. The winner was The Jellyfish, which is a small wind turbine that plugs into outlets and generates energy. The small turbine (30 inches) can generate up to 40kWh/month of energy, enough to light a house using energy efficient bulbs. While the product is not out yet, the initial target price will be $400, eventually going down to $199 and will be available for mass production [Source: Clarian]. Besides contests, Google is also investing in wind farms, most recently two out in North Dakota. These farms were designed by General Electric and created by NextEra Energy Resources and though $38.8 million may seem like a large amount to many of us, the investment is actually quite low as there is no need to lay down any infrastructure since current transmission facilities can transmit power to nearby areas. These two wind farms can generate over 169.5 megawatts of power (enough to power 55,000 homes) due to the nextgen wind turbine technology, though a google spokesperson said that they would not be using the power from the turbines for their data centers [Source: Alternative Energy]. The upgrades for these turbines include:
- 15 percent larger blades
- ability to adjust individual blades at different angles to increase efficiency
- dynamic control system that allows for remote 24/7 monitoring and operation [Source: Mashable].
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Hot water from the data centers are brought to the top of a cooling tower and released on a material that improves evaporation performance
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As the water goes down, it evaporates, drawing out energy and cooling it down
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Dry air is brought in by a fan and exits drawing away any excess humidity from the evaporation.
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The cooled down water is collected at the base of the tower and to the data centers.
But Google isn’t only concentrating on wind, they’ve also made large investments in solar. In fact, Google has been looking into creating their own solar panels that will potentially increase efficiency by 60% and reduce cost of these panels by 25%. Though the material for the heliostats – the row of mirrors that track the sun – are unknown, Bill Weihl states that Google is looking at a variety of low-cost, "unusual" materials [Source:Alternative Energy]. These panels will be produced and used in-house at Google’s datacenters first to test and then later distributed if it seems feasible. Two solar energy companies, eSolar and Brightsource, are working with Google to create the new mirror technology. Google has also been looking into geothermal, though not as much as solar and wind, and have invested $8 million in Potter Drill, a company that creates enhanced geothermal system (EGS) drills. With this method of "drilling" we are able to tap into more geothermal energy than by normal standards [Source:Inhabitat]. All of these investments and new inventions have led Google to create a clean energy subsidiary called Google Energy. In early 2010, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Google’s request to buy and sell energy on the wholesale market [Source: CNET].
One of the major reasons why Google is looking to create better solar, wind and geothermal energy is to lower their own carbon footprint. While Google refuses to disclose information about their data centers, they are upfront about their CO2 emissions. A quick search produces very little CO2, about 0.2 grams, a more in-depth search (several clicks) could result in 7 grams of CO2, about half of what is dispensed when boiling a kettle of water. On an individual level, this may not seem like much, but Google performs around 200 million searches daily…which equals 140 kilograms of CO2 daily [Source: Times Online]. Since 2007, Google has been making efforts to become more efficient. The main problems of data centers is keeping it cool so the servers don’t overheat. Since these servers produce heat when working, the data centers must be cooled constantly. Google currently employs an evaporation cooling method:
With this process, Google has reduced the energy-weighted average overhead to 19% versus the standard 96% [Source: Google]. The water is recycled and reused to continue the cooling process with some reports boasting 100% water recycling and at least one data center that implements a rainwater collection system [Source: Environmental Leader].
While there will always be controversies surrounding Google’s unchecked growth, it seems apparent from their actions and spending that they are deeply invested in the environment. In fact, Google Earth helped to discover a new rainforest in Mozambique (Mount Mabu) and is helping to protect the rainforest by working with satellite providers to get detailed images of illegal mining and logging. And hey, it might be good to keep tabs on Google from getting too large (search engine, OS, browser, map, and energy provider), if they’re the only companies pushing the move for a greener future, maybe it’s not such a bad thing.
