Google.co.uk Goes Black
by Sean Hackbarth
In an example of symbolism over substance Google turned its home back to black to support Earth Hour. That’s a campaign asking people to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday to promote energy conservation. One. Measly. Hour.
To actually save some energy Google could shut down one of its energy-eating data centers. But then that might actually cost the company a little bit in the speed they deliver searches, the source of much of their ad revenue.
UPDATE: Google.com has gone black.
[…] In promoting Earth Hour Google failed to look at itself in the mirror. Der Spiegel reports buildings loaded with computers are a big waste of energy. The search giant is mentioned for how electricity costs and access to cooling water have determined the location of one of its data centers: It is no coincidence that search engine giant Google is building its newest computer center near the Dalles Dam, a huge hydroelectric power plant in Oregon. Buying electricity directly from the plant costs one-fifth as much as Google would be paying in California. Besides, the Columbia River supplies inexpensive water to operate the eight multistory cooling towers designed to handle the waste heat from tens of thousands of computers. […]