Apple came in at the bottom of a new report from Greenpeace outlining data usage at data centers.
According to the environmental group, Apple’s new, $1 billion data center in North Carolina is going to be a major offender when it comes to the environment. Greenpeace is reporting that the data center will use 100 MW of electricity when it opens, which is the same as around 80,000 homes in the U.S., or 250,000 in the E.U. The group says only 5% of this power will be generated cleanly, with the rest coming from coal or nuclear plants.
Of course, Apple’s data center has yet to be put to use (that we know of), so it’s real impact has yet to be seen.
Greenpeace reports:
If the Internet was a country, it would rank 5th for the amount of electricity usage, just below Japan and above Russia. But unlike geographical states, the Internet’s data centres can be found all over the world, clustering in locations that offer strong tax incentives and cheap, but often dirty, electricity (see map below).
Yahoo operates the most green data centers, with 55.9 percent clean energy used, while Google and Amazon use 36.4 and 26.8 percent clean power, respectively.
Apple received a higher score in the categories of transparency and mitigation strategy. Facebook and Twitter scored low on these measures.
You can download the entire 36-page PDF here, or a 4-page facilities PDF here.
Article Via Cult of Mac
