The two today announced a collaboration to promote renewable energy on the grid and improve energy efficiency in data centers.
In a joint statement (PDF), Facebook agreed to create a data center policy that "states a preference for access to clean and renewable energy supply," continue research on data center efficiency, and urge utilities to increase the amount of clean energy used for Facebook's operations.
Greenpeace will actively support the Facebook-founded Open Compute Project to share energy-efficient data center designs. It will also encourage utilities to give consumers more data on their energy usage, including an Opower-created program that uses Facebook to promote individual energy efficiency and awareness.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-57343501-54/facebook-and-greenpeace-ma...
Facebook is committed to supporting the development of clean and renewable sources of energy, and our goal is to power all of our operations with clean and renewable energy. Building on our leadership in energy efficiency (through the Open Compute Project), we are working in partnership with Greenpeace and others to create a world that is highly efficient and powered by clean and renewable energy. This effort will include a range of activities:
By Facebook
• Adopting a siting policy that states a preference for access to clean and renewable energy supply
• Ongoing research into energy efficiency and the open sharing of that technology through the Open Compute Project
• Ongoing research into clean energy solutions for our future data centers
• Engaging in a dialogue with our utility providers about increasing the supply of clean energy that power Facebook data centers
By Greenpeace
• Active support for the Open Compute Project, including encouraging companies to join the effort, use the technology, and share their efficiency technology
• Encouraging utility providers to offer ways for customers to get their utility data, including by joining the partnership with Opower, Facebook, and NRDC
• Recognize company leadership in advancing best practices in efficiency or sustainability technology through the open source sharing of design and technology advances.
Together
• Working together to develop and promote experiences on Facebook that help people and organizations connect with ways to save energy and engage their communities in clean energy issues.
• Co-hosting roundtables and discussions with experts on energy issues.
• Jointly engaging other large energy users and producers to address the energy choice they are facing and develop new clean energy rather than recommission coal plants or build new coal plants.
In the end, it comes down to the bottom line. If it costs less to use alternative/clean energy, then facebook will.
I bet Apple is glad that they're not in the spotlight anymore.
I can pretty much sum it all up: Facebook cares about the environment, they're going to clean up their data centers, maybe donate some money to this organization, put a few Facebook employees on the board to make sure nothing too radical comes out as far as data center energy policy, and Facebook looks clean as a whistle.
Let's face it, data centers are INEFFICIENT! Apple is rated as one of the worst data center operators in the world! Faebook is NOT that far behind; they just know how to manage the PR.
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