Remember all that hubbub about Apple’s “dirty cloud” data center in Maiden, N.C.?
Long story short, Greenpeace released a scathing report on the state of cloud data centers and their detrimental effects on the environment. Though some companies got a pass — Facebook, Yahoo and Google, mainly — others like Apple were raked over the coals (pun intended) for siting their data centers in areas that get their electricity from coal-fired power plants.
Well, Apple is having none of it.
In addition to pledging that three of its data centers will be 100 percent renewable-powered, including the Maiden facility and the new Prineville, Ore. build, Apple provided details on the energy efficiency features they’re using to keep their PUE low.
Here’s a summary at Datamation:
The normally secretive technology company revealed that the Maiden facility is employing free cooling, cold air containment, airflow management and high-efficiency chillers backed by a cold water storage system. A white roof further helps keep things cool by bouncing back the sun’s rays. Other energy-saving features include real-time energy monitoring, a high-voltage power distribution system and motion sensor triggered LED lighting.
Another interesting wrinkle: Apple is installing Bloom Energy Servers at Maiden. The fuel cells, which made a splashy debut in 2010, appear to be a hit among eco-conscious tech companies.
So what does Greenpeace think? So far, it’s claiming a victory, of sorts. And it’s not planning to stop pressuring cloud companies to build green data centers.
