After two years of pressure from Greenpeace to make its data centers cleaner and more energy efficient, Facebook has finally relented and agreed to build its new facility in Lulea, Sweden with renewable energy top of mind. In an announcement issued this week, the social networking giant and Greenpeace will collaborate on the promotion of renewable energy, encourage major utilities to develop renewable energy generation, and develop programs that will enable Facebook users to save energy and engage their communities in clean energy decisions.
The news comes two years after Greenpeace launched its global Unfriend Coal Campaign, enlisting 700,000 online activists to call on Facebook to power its data centers with clean energy instead of coal. While Facebook talks a lot about its commitment to clean and green energy, the truth is the company gets more than half of the energy it uses for its data centers in Prineville, Oregon and Forest City, North Carolina from coal-fired plants. Yes, Facebook has attempted to minimize its carbon footprint at these facilities by adding solar panels and designing energy efficient computing and cooling systems.
Across the pond in Newport, South Wales, Next Generation Data (NGD) Europe showed its commitment to green data center practices last year by being a true trailblazer and the first to get all of its energy from renewable source – 100% renewable. The 750,000 square foot NGD facility connects directly to the super grid via its own substation, ensuring a massive 180 MVA of resilient power supply. That’s enough to power a city the size of Charleston, South Carolina.
The second-half of 2011 has seen many data center operators proclaiming their departure from fossil fuels and newfound commitment to renewable energy. The Greenpeace-Facebook truce and Facebook’s declaration for a clean energy future will certainly go far in brining credibility to the cause and setting an example for others to follow. As they say, success has a thousand parents.
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