Data centers, particularly the kind that house super computers, are outpacing air traffic in environmental impact.

Spiegel Online examines how big data centers are straining electrical grids and pushing the limits of cooling systems. This is causing some tech giants to build closer to hydro-elecric and renewable sources of energy.

The first interesting tidbit is that data centers are outpacing airlines in the CO2 output race. Also, there's this interesting note (and a bit of speculative math) concerning Google.

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.

Users are accustomed to the results of their searches appearing on their computer screens almost magically. Calculations have now been performed to determine the share of power consumption that can be attributed to a single Google search. Depending on the initial data, one Google search consumes enough electricity to run an 11-watt, energy-saving lightbulb for 15 minutes to an hour.

IBM is cited for bucking the trend by pushing their mainframes, which can virtually consolidate thousands of machines for up to 80 percent in energy savings.

[via Amazon Green Scene's Blog]