Is Google worth 260 Million Watts of power? I think so....

So I was reading an article on Popular Science and apparently Google is sucking 260 Million watts of electricity constantly, which is about a quarter of what a nuclear power plant can produce.

After years of playing such numbers extremely close to the vest, Google today released figures spelling out exactly how much electricity the company’s massive computing resources consume. Its data centers continuously draw 260 million watts--roughly a quarter the output of a nuclear power plant, says the NYT--to keep services like Gmail, search, Google Ads, and YouTube up and running around the clock and around the globe.

How does that translate? Google also estimated that its total carbon emissions for 2010 were just below 1.5 million metric tons. Not all of Google’s electricity comes from carbon resources--a quarter comes from renewable fuels like wind, thanks to some deals the company has made with utilities--but that’s still some decent tonnage.

Now with everything that Google is doing, and everything that they are running I feel it is worth it. I agree with their statement below but 1.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions is alot.

Still, Google argues that its consumption really isn’t so bad. Its data centers carry out billions of operations--a billion searches per day alone--and many of those save fuel. Google searches save trips to the library or the travel agent, for instance, offsetting the power consumed by its processing farms. And when you break it down it’s not so bad, considering the vast numbers of people using Google’s services. The company said an average user consumes just 180-watt hours per month, which roughly equates to running a 60-watt light bulb for three hours.

And how does that power usage break down? Google apparently didn’t detail every last watt, but it did say that search queries only burn 12.5 million of those 260 million watts.

Pop Sci Link

So with Youtube, Search, Gmail, Maps, Earth, and Google's many many other tools that make our life easier, uses a lot of resources and produces a lot of waste. Will the things that make our life more easier destroy our earth faster or will the tools Google provide us actually balance out what we would use otherwise if we didn't have their tools?

I cant see myself without Google search and gmail. Is it sad that I do not care they produce this much carbon emissions? I was trying to find some other things to compare is too but wasn't having much luck. I just wanted to see if that was really a lot like it seems or is the number relativity close to a factory or something.

Opinions/Input?

If we're going to use energy, we might as well put it to a good use, and I think Google does that; it's not wasted resources because the service they provide is crucial to many aspects of modern life.

I also like that they are utilizing renewable energy sources. As much as I oppose their datamining habits, Google is a decent, forward thinking company.

did they mention all the ways that google uses green tech to make things better, like the solar/wind power they use and the sheep they use to cut the grass?

anyways i am sure that other companies use a hell of allot more power then google and also along with the power they put out all of the other great polutions like chemicals and things.

reply to post by DestroyDestroyDestroy

If we're going to use energy, we might as well put it to a good use, and I think Google does that; it's not wasted resources because the service they provide is crucial to many aspects of modern life.

Exactly my sentiment.

It's like saying transportation is a problem because of gas. Transportation is what makes the world go around (so punny). The issue is the dependence on gas, not the vehicle. Likewise the internet is monumental to our world, both in the services they provide now, and the incredible potential it holds for our future! The issue again, is not its energy consumption but the nature of the energy it draws from. Food, housing, internet, transportation.... god what aspect of society isn't ultimately about renewable energy (the lack thereof).

The crazy thing is there is also yahoo....

Add a couple more and they all draw total nuclear plant volume.

Lots of power, lots of carbon.

But we can't live without the www can we.

From the article

Google also released an estimate that an average search uses 0.3 watt-hours of electricity,

So If I google something 4 times, there goes a watt hour. I wonder with all of my google searches how much electricity I have used? 16 kilowatts? In my last 15 years .

The majority of that power is probably used to deliver advertising, which annoys the hell out of me. i still have ads being delivered for stuff I searched for months ago and already bought. A complete waste of resources.

I also think it is fallacy to think that people ordering stuff one item at a time is anything but a waste of resources. More convenient? Yes, but good for us as a whole ? No.

Google does help us find information, however that information is almost exclusively created by others. I think it would be much better to have a non profit group index the internet instead of google.

reply to post by ManOfHart


I probably google something about 15 times a day...lets say 5 days a week.

reply to post by magma

But we can't live without the www can we.

I assume you projected those words on the screen just now through extrasensory powers and not the conventional WWW?

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy



Actually it was from my nuclear powered smart phone....

reply to post by magma


Right on

I am actually familiar with that model.

The web was used extensively in both its hardware and software development

Originally posted by sligtlyskeptical
The majority of that power is probably used to deliver advertising, which annoys the hell out of me. i still have ads being delivered for stuff I searched for months ago and already bought. A complete waste of resources.

I also think it is fallacy to think that people ordering stuff one item at a time is anything but a waste of resources. More convenient? Yes, but good for us as a whole ? No.

Google does help us find information, however that information is almost exclusively created by others. I think it would be much better to have a non profit group index the internet instead of google.

The ads are what provides Google with the money required to run the business and provide the service to us, free of charge.

Sure, it would be nice for a non-profit group to index the internet, but where would they get the money to run the data centres?

reply to post by Djayed


Google started off in a bedroom.

It became the most popular search engine from that...

Now it's a monstrosity. It is not a sign of how great it is, that it uses so much power. It's a sign of how much they have become a machine that only serves itself.

I don't think a search engine is worth 1/4 of a power plant...

Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
If we're going to use energy, we might as well put it to a good use, and I think Google does that; it's not wasted resources because the service they provide is crucial to many aspects of modern life.

What is one crucial aspect of modern life that google provides?

That's absurd...

Google also released an estimate that an average search uses 0.3 watt-hours of electricity,

Wow, that means since google was created i have used 0.3 watt-hours of power by using
their service.

I'm not a google fan, i know many like it, but i prefer the other search tools.
sad though some of them have disapeared over time.

They fail to mention how much of that power they use to track your every move and
spy as much as they can on each individual.

reply to post by severdsoul


Google contributes far far more than just their search engine.

From general philanthropy to advancing science and technology.

reply to post by winofiend

What is one crucial aspect of modern life that google provides?

That's absurd...

Information. Information organization.

Lots of it.

They are not the only ones. But that doesn't negate their contribution.

Calling it a crucial aspect is underselling.

Originally posted by Lucid Lunacy
reply to post by winofiend

 

What is one crucial aspect of modern life that google provides?

That's absurd...

Information. Information organization.

Lots of it.

They are not the only ones. But that doesn't negate their contribution.

Calling it a crucial aspect is underselling.

edit on 26-1-2013 by Lucid Lunacy because: (no reason given)

I would say Google maps with street view has saved me hours and hours of driving around trying to find the location of what I am looking for. Street view allows me to see the buildings before driving so ultimately I would say that they have saved me time and money in gas.

Now with that said, how many people need to perform the exact same search to pay for the resources it took to create street view(Development, Gas, Employees driving around to record the pictures).