Facebook Responds on Coal Power in Data Center

facebook-prineville

An architectural rendering of the new Facebook data center planned for Prineville, Oregon.

Facebook has responded to growing criticism of its power choices for its new data center in Prineville, Oregon. This is one of the first cases in which a data center's energy sourcing has attracted this kind of public attention, but it won't be the last.  

Earlier this month we noted a report that Facebook's new Oregon data center, which has been designed to be highly energy-efficient, would be getting its power from a local utility that uses coal to generate the majority of its power. This news, initially reported by SearchDataCenter, has been getting attention from environmental groups and green blogs. The issue was highlighted on TreeHugger and Change.org, and has even led to the creation of a Facebook group (Tell Facebook to use Clean Energy for its Data Center).

Facebook's Response 
Yesterday Facebook responded via our comment section on the original post, with a statement from spokesperson Lee Weinstein. Since Facebook has taken its lumps on this issue, I felt its response should get equal visibility. Here's Weinstein's comment:

I'll circle back to our commentary on the original post: "This is a good example of the 'clean vs. cheap' dilemma faced by data centers with massive power requirements. Companies like Google and Facebook want to be as green as possible, but must also control costs. The economics of on-site generation of using wind or solar power still don’t add up for most providers. That means the best way to use more renewable energy in the data center is to buy it from the utility company." Sometimes that's not as easy as you'd think, even in Oregon.

The irony is that companies like Facebook, which make energy efficiency a priority and are open about their interest in sustainability, are held to a higher standard when it comes to energy sourcing. We've previously noted Facebook's focus on efficiency in the leasing and design of its data centers:

Google to Face Similar Scrutiny
Another company bearing the weight of high expectations is Google, whose actions are often viewed through the prism of the "don't be evil" sentiment expressed by its founders. The company's sourcing of power for its data centers is likely to come under similar scrutiny. Major media outlets are increasingly interested in Google's energy use in its data centers, including how much it's using and how "green" that power is.

Google is open about its interest in both data center efficiency and sustainability, and its foundation has made significant investments in wind, solar and geothermal power. But the company hasn't been forthcoming about how much electricity its data centers use, and the media's efforts to fill in the blanks can easily go awry. A recent example: the wild-ass guess by The Wall Street Journal that Google's energy use was "roughly equivalent to the output of two large conventional power plants."

Google has made enormous investments in building what it believes are the world's most efficient data centers. Other media outlets are taking a hard look at Google's energy use, and whether it is aligned with its commitment to sustainability. Will Google wait to let others characterize its data center energy use, or disclose more about its current power usage and sourcing and the company's plans to make it more sustainable over time?