WSJ: Big tech firms seeking power

Sat Jun 17 01:25:37 UTC 2006

When I made my posting, I didn't know the context was google in Oregon. I 
missed that somehow.

Anyway, the dam referenced below:

 	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dalles_Dam

And the power generated from the region:

 	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectric_dams_on_the_Columbia_River

Seems like a good place to setup a datacenter.

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006, Jeff Shultz wrote:

>
> David Lesher wrote:
>> 
>> Speaking on Deep Background, the Press Secretary whispered:
>>> 
>>>> I wonder just how much power it takes to cool 450,000 servers.
>> .....
>>> KwH = $111,000 /month in cooling.
>> 
>> I don't know the area; but gather it's hydro territory?
>> 
>> How about water-source heat pumps? It's lots easier to cool
>> 25C air into say 10-15C water than into 30C outside air.
>> 
>> Open loop water source systems do have their issues [algae, etc]
>> but can save a lot of power....
>> 
>> 
>
> The Dalles, OR is on the Columbia River just upriver of Portland by 80 miles 
> or so. It has a large dam spanning what used to be Celilo Falls in it's front 
> yard.
>
> Hydro territory doesn't even begin to define it... :-)
>
> "Eco-freak" territory also doesn't begin to define it, so the idea of piping 
> water off the Columbia and returning it even 1/2 degree warmer is a 
> non-starter.
>
> I'm amazed they let them put up tall cooling towers in "the historic, scenic 
> Columbia River Gorge...." (sorry, old political battle flashback)
>

-- 
Alex Rubenstein, AR97, K2AHR, alex at nac.net, latency, Al Reuben
Net Access Corporation, 800-NET-ME-36, http://www.nac.net