Greenpeace has attacked many of the world’s largest technology firms – including Facebook, Apple and Google – over their data-centre practices, and especially for citing their networks in what it has dubbed the “dirty data triangle”.
The environmental group said in its ‘Dirty Data Report’ that companies running large-scale cloud services are neglecting to adopt green energy practices and policies at their data-centre facilities.
“Across the board, IT companies have thus far failed to commit to clean energy in the same way they are embracing energy efficiency, which is holding the sector back from being truly green,” Greenpeace said in the report.
By failing to consider alternative energy sources when building facilities, the group argues that many vendors are driving up their carbon footprints and further damaging the environment.
Among Greenpeace’s biggest complaints was the locations in which many firms are building their data-centre facilities. In particular, the group singled out Apple, Google and Facebook for their choices of venue.
All three firms have established data-centres in North Carolina, a region that Greenpeace has labelled as the “dirty data triangle”. The group said that the area in which the data-centres are located is particularly reliant on coal for generating electricity.
The report said that the state, along with utility company Duke Energy, used tax breaks and lowered power costs to convince companies to move their energy-hungry data-centres into the region.
“These mega data-centres, which will draw from some of the dirtiest generation mixes in the US, highlights the sway of low-cost energy, misplaced tax incentives, and a corresponding lack of commitment to clean energy.”
Earlier this month, Facebook offered to will share the design details of its new energy-efficient data centre with competitors. The social networking company claims it is trying to encourage industry-wide collaboration around best practices for data centre and server technology.
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