In May Ian had an interesting post about the environmental impact of data centers – the power hungry workhorses of the internet. As he pointed out a typical server rack needs an equivalent amount of power to 300, 100-Watt light bulbs. With over 7000 data centers in America alone, the largest of which need nearly 200 megawatts of power, the carbon emissions will indeed soon be rivaling those of the airline industry.

Companies that operate data centers are now thinking of clever ideas to save money on running (and cooling) these football field sized facilities. Solutions include locating the centers in cold climates, near hydroelectric or thermal energy or in abandoned mines with access to cold water. Google, one of the largest operators of data centers, with an estimated 1 million servers, has recently filed a patent for one of the most novel ideas. The internet company wants to locate data centers on floating barges a few kilometers from shore. The idea is to use the power of waves to generate electricity and the water to cool servers.

While the industry’s carbon footprint is quickly growing it is encouraging to see such innovative thinking. It would be interesting if the same companies that revolutionized the online world did the same to power management.