Article 6: Cloud Servers

A Green Cloud?

A huge 20 year agreement has recently been made by Microsoft and a wind farm in pilot Hill, Illinois. The idea behind it, make one of Microsoft biggest data centers green. Cloud data despite all of its convince tends to confuse consumers to where exactly their information is stored. The truth is, it is stored in a huge data facility full of servers. These servers of course use immense amounts of energy and also require even more energy too keep them at a cool temp. The result is the often a very costly and unsustainable business.

Microsoft which is current in a transition to becoming a more sustainable company believes the solution is to team up with as many alternative energy companies as possible. Doing this they believe that cloud data will not only become more green but to also improve their infrastructure. This is a sort of trend for a company that in the last two years has invested millions into power infrastructure systems. Everything from greener backup generators that run on natural gas and biodiesel to more efficient fuel cell designs, which could be used to power neighborhoods at 1/10 of the cost and 1/10 of the size.

If one thing is clear though Microsoft isn't doing this because its necessary better for the environment, while that is an added plus, rather they are seeing a stable and reasonable prices coming from green power. From an economic standpoint any reduction in risk is considered a positive and Microsoft a company that runs on energy sees the potential in sustainable energy because of this.

Link: http://www.dailytech.com/To+the+Cloud+Microsoft+Signs+20Year+Contract+for+175+MW+of+Wind+Power/article36221.htm