WSJ: Big tech firms seeking power

Sat Jun 17 18:38:47 UTC 2006

Mecahnical work converts to heat in the very end. Not _mostly 100%_ but
_absolutely 100%_.

Except if it is cell station which inducts energy into the radio wawes, and
minus some light coming out of the building (which removes energy as well).

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lesher" <wb8foz at nrk.com>
To: "nanog list" <nanog at merit.edu>
Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 4:08 AM
Subject: Re: WSJ: Big tech firms seeking power

>
>
> Speaking on Deep Background, the Press Secretary whispered:
> >
> >
> >
> > > who insist on perpetuating that most medieval of units... the BTU.
> >
> > Well, if you do away with that you can continue with the "mile" as well,
> > then lose the pounds and yards and gallons while you're at it.
>
> Great! Let's get started...
>
> > What is the amount of energy coming out of a server as heat as opposed
to
> > what you put in as electricity? My guess would be pretty close to 100%,
>
> Actually, it's closer to 100.00%. Most is heat directly, but some
> very small amount is mechanical work on the HD's, etc... and that
> is then room heat as the drives radiate heat to the room.
> The LED's emit photons that then heat the room, and so forth.
>
> The only energy that 'escapes' the building would likely be
> outgoing copper & glass data connections....but wait, there's
> incoming of THOSE too. [But...  if a server farm, there's more
> bits out than in...]
>
> > In one of our data centers we use community cooling, we get 4 C (I think
> > it was approx 4 C) degree water and we're required to heat it at least
by
> > 8 C before we return it, this is then used in the community power plant
to
> > produce hot community water, and this process I've been told is quite
> > effective. Any thoughts on this? Guess it doesn't work in the boondocks
> > though...
>
> > I guess none of this makes sense in the southern part of the US, but
> > further up north where houses actually need heating and not cooling most
> > of the year, are things like this done?
>
> Almost never. In the immediate focus of the US it's cheaper to
> import foreign oil/mine & burn coal than to invest capital to do
> something more efficiently.
>
> [Hmmm, I wonder what the current power price is in the
> Niagara River Valley? Their cheap power was why so many steel
> mills/aluminum smelters/etc located there eons ago. Plus, there's
> copious H2O cooling and I have to think there are massive buildings
> available in the area just for paying the back taxes...]
>
> [This has drifted way OT and I'm out of here...]
>
>
> -- 
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