Does Google know something about energy that the rest of us don't?

[jpak]

http://www.care2.com/causes/global-warming/blog/does-google-know-something-about-energy-that-the-rest-of-us-dont/

Google announced a large wind energy deal this week that reveals a lot about where they think energy markets are headed. Other big energy consumers should take notice.

Rather than simply buying renewable energy credits (RECs) and adding some solar panels to show their commitment to green, Google’s energy subsidiary signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with NextEra Energy. Google will begin buying 114 megawatts of electricity from an Iowa wind farm later this summer. Now of course Google doesn’t consume much of their energy anywhere near Iowa, but they can (and intend to) sell this energy on wholesale markets, and simultaneously buy energy where they do use it.

By buying the wind energy directly, Google has created a giant hedge against both rising energy prices and the future cost of compliance with emissions reduction mandates – either voluntary or mandatory. RECs are a way to separate out the actual energy from the credit for low emissions, and this direct investment locks in their costs for both.

Why would they want to do this? Aside from their intention on greening their operations, they believe it makes good business sense.

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[Jackpine Radical]

1. Think of all the information Google has about all sorts of things--

like changes in popularity of search terms, etc. Surely it would be possible to tie those sorts of analysis to observed social & economic trends, for example. Kind of like doing a content analysis of the public's collective mind.

[madokie]

2. Google bought up 800 acres of our local industrial park a couple years ago

and built a data center, that they say they have in mothballs now. At the time they said that they had plans for each of the 8 one hundred acre sites. The guys who worked on the communications center had to sign oaths that they wouldn't talk about anything they were doing there except that they were doing electrical, concrete, Iron or whatever work they were doing. I know at the center they have 24, I think 10 KW best I can tell, diesel generators and each of those are setting on a 4000 gallon fuel tank. They're V 16 Caterpillar and Cummings powered gensets. Google is pretty much the only ones who have a jet powered private planes at this industrial park and I see or hear it coming and going quite frequently. We have an abundance of water available and they were saying that was one of the reasons for siteing this data center here at MAIP, (midAmerica Industrial Park) Several of my friends worked on their project then. My son works at the water treatment plant and he says that the the google compound is the only place in the whole industrial park where they are not granted any access. It all makes me wonder what plans they have for this area here.

[Javaman]

3. At some point in the far future, google will have a data center on every corner. nt