If you're like me, Google is usually your first stop when looking for information. Google also manages my email, calendars, contacts, and RSS feeds. Keeping these services running requires a lot of computing power and electricity usage. When thinking about how many server farms, data centers, routers, switches, cooling systems, etc... are required to keep all of this running, it becomes apparent that this is very energy intensive.
No one knows for sure just how much electricity Google uses to run its operations, but people speculate nonetheless. I found a blog post that tried to quantify just how much electricity Google consumes and how much CO2 this translates to. From the blog post, it looks like Google receives its electricity from nuclear and hydro plants, but still consumes more than most countries!
Interesting read. Check out the post here for more info.
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
What does $5.2 million and 1 minute get you: A preview of our energy future.
Somewhere in between the 59 year-old “Boss” sliding across stage and one of the most exciting endings in Super Bowl history were two energy-related commercials that hopefully did not go unnoticed by the general public. The commercials I am referring to were two new additions to General Electric's (GE)ongoing “Ecoimagination” campaign (you can view all of the ecoimagination commercials here), which is now being enveloped in their “Now” campaign to promote innovate ideas in healthcare, energy and the environment, and global research. The “Scarecrow”ad depicts the Wizard of Oz character dancing around power lines and power grids to the tune of “If I Only Had a Brain.” This clever ad intends to reflect how “smart grid” technologies will intelligently improve our aging electric power system by enabling advanced digital technologies to dramatically increase the efficiency of the electric grid. In a nutshell, the “smart grid” system is intended to optimize current electric transmission and distribution while opening up new markets for distributed power generation sources and alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar. Such a system would use two-way communications devices, advanced sensors, and distributed computing technology to improve the reliability and efficiency of power systems. This idea has generated such strong response of late that Obama’s proposed stimulus plan includes $11 billion towards investing in smart grid technology. The second commercial that GE broadcasts provides a funny spin on the potential of wind energy, even in its most simple application.
As an “energy junkie” and a “sports junkie” I was a thrilled to see my two greatest interests converge before a mass audience. Finally, the most pressing energy issues had made the "big time" and one of the "big-timers" in the industry was leading the charge (GE is the 12 largest corporation in the World in terms of annual revenues according to the Fortune 500). This got me to thinking about what this meant for the future of the energy industry and the advancement of new energy technologies. Here we have one of the biggest players in conventional energy technologies spending large sums of money in advertising (a 30 second commercial costs $2.6 million, although the cost for GE was actually an opportunity cost since they own NBC who broadcast the Super Bowl) to promote new energy technologies that could essentially replace its old technologies. This demonstrates that the new “green economy” that will promote more efficient energy use and cleaner energy sources need not be seen as a threat to companies with huge stakes in the energy industry, but rather as an opportunity. GE is not the only major energy player to jump on new technologies. Major oil companies such as BP have also been some of the biggest investors in renewable energy technologies. This makes simple business sense. These companies already understand the energy business, they only need to adapt their business model to new ways of making money in a new energy economy. But not all, or even many, of the major energy companies are jumping on board the renewable energy bandwagon. As oil and gas companies continue to reap huge profits, the industry's short-term business model just doesn't see the need. This is a shame, because these industries have some of the biggest research and development budgets in the world. It may take a gas tax or some form of carbon regulation to change the focus of major energy companies, but when it happens energy companies can already be prepared to shift to new business opportunities. The opportunities are out there, and companies can follow GE’s lead on developing and promoting these new energy technologies.
As an “energy junkie” and a “sports junkie” I was a thrilled to see my two greatest interests converge before a mass audience. Finally, the most pressing energy issues had made the "big time" and one of the "big-timers" in the industry was leading the charge (GE is the 12 largest corporation in the World in terms of annual revenues according to the Fortune 500). This got me to thinking about what this meant for the future of the energy industry and the advancement of new energy technologies. Here we have one of the biggest players in conventional energy technologies spending large sums of money in advertising (a 30 second commercial costs $2.6 million, although the cost for GE was actually an opportunity cost since they own NBC who broadcast the Super Bowl) to promote new energy technologies that could essentially replace its old technologies. This demonstrates that the new “green economy” that will promote more efficient energy use and cleaner energy sources need not be seen as a threat to companies with huge stakes in the energy industry, but rather as an opportunity. GE is not the only major energy player to jump on new technologies. Major oil companies such as BP have also been some of the biggest investors in renewable energy technologies. This makes simple business sense. These companies already understand the energy business, they only need to adapt their business model to new ways of making money in a new energy economy. But not all, or even many, of the major energy companies are jumping on board the renewable energy bandwagon. As oil and gas companies continue to reap huge profits, the industry's short-term business model just doesn't see the need. This is a shame, because these industries have some of the biggest research and development budgets in the world. It may take a gas tax or some form of carbon regulation to change the focus of major energy companies, but when it happens energy companies can already be prepared to shift to new business opportunities. The opportunities are out there, and companies can follow GE’s lead on developing and promoting these new energy technologies.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
An International Perspective on Residential Energy Consumption
Over the winter break, I traveled to South America to visit my relatives in Colombia for three weeks. Though I have visited many times, I am always stunned by the differences between life in developing world and the extravagance I enjoy as a middleclass American. Colombia has the 28th largest economy in the world according to the IMF, but its population is so large that it ranks 82nd in GDP per capita, which is roughly at median of all the world’s countries.
My perspective of Colombia is naturally limited because my aunts and uncles are fortunate to be either a part of the wealthy upper-class or the growing middle-class. However, the comforts they enjoy are markedly different from what is often taken for granted in the US. While it is impossible to explain all of the differences in this short post, I would briefly like to compare our household energy consumption. Comparing households is difficult because it energy usage depends on a variety of factors including the number of people, the size of the house, and the prevailing climate, so I will try my best to present all the relevant data.
Although my grandmother’s apartment in Barranquilla is much larger than my own apartment in Austin, she uses less electricity because she does not have central air-conditioning. Instead, she has a wall unit in every room and only runs the air-conditioning when she is in a room. If she is cooking or cleaning, the windows are always open and the apartment was designed to maximize air flowing through the windows. In contrast, central air-conditioning maintains my apartment in Austin at a constant temperature throughout the day. Considering my grandmother also has a washer and dryer in her apartment and I use the laundromat in Austin, she consumes significantly less electricity overall.
My dad has a brother and a sister living in Bogota who each has a family with three children. As Table 2 shows, their families use significantly less energy than my family in Houston. Although Bogota has cold nights, neither apartment has any form of heating unlike my family’s home in Houston. One family uses a significant amount of gas to heat their hot water heater and dryer. The other family uses approximately 8 ccf equivalent because they do not have natural gas tubing and rely on a propane tank to power the stove and electricity to heat the bath water. They also do not have a dryer, so they must wait two days for their clothes to dry.
Some relevant facts worth noting is that there is little variation between the electricity consumption from month-to-month in Colombia because the weather remains more-or-less constant given its proximity to the equator. In contrast, my family’s electric bill in Houston varies between 1400 and 600 kwh, while our gas consumption varies between 1 and 88 ccf depending on the season. According to the EIA, the average monthly household electricity consumption in the US is 936 kwh, which far exceeds the consumption of my middle to upper-class Colombian relatives. The average per-capita electricity consumption in Colombia is 828 kwh per year according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and this average includes electricity consumed across the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.
This data is only a narrow snapshot of differences in energy consumption, but it gives me a greater appreciation for the amount of energy my family consumes in the US. I want to conclude by mentioning that in my four trips to Colombia over the past five years, I have seen many signs of remarkable growth and improvement. Colombia is only one of many rapidly developing countries that are aspiring to enjoy our standard of living, and a comprehensive strategy will have to be developed to supply this growing demand.
My perspective of Colombia is naturally limited because my aunts and uncles are fortunate to be either a part of the wealthy upper-class or the growing middle-class. However, the comforts they enjoy are markedly different from what is often taken for granted in the US. While it is impossible to explain all of the differences in this short post, I would briefly like to compare our household energy consumption. Comparing households is difficult because it energy usage depends on a variety of factors including the number of people, the size of the house, and the prevailing climate, so I will try my best to present all the relevant data.
Table 1: Comparison of Apartments in Warm Climates
Although my grandmother’s apartment in Barranquilla is much larger than my own apartment in Austin, she uses less electricity because she does not have central air-conditioning. Instead, she has a wall unit in every room and only runs the air-conditioning when she is in a room. If she is cooking or cleaning, the windows are always open and the apartment was designed to maximize air flowing through the windows. In contrast, central air-conditioning maintains my apartment in Austin at a constant temperature throughout the day. Considering my grandmother also has a washer and dryer in her apartment and I use the laundromat in Austin, she consumes significantly less electricity overall.Table 2: Comparison of Family Households in Mild Climates
My dad has a brother and a sister living in Bogota who each has a family with three children. As Table 2 shows, their families use significantly less energy than my family in Houston. Although Bogota has cold nights, neither apartment has any form of heating unlike my family’s home in Houston. One family uses a significant amount of gas to heat their hot water heater and dryer. The other family uses approximately 8 ccf equivalent because they do not have natural gas tubing and rely on a propane tank to power the stove and electricity to heat the bath water. They also do not have a dryer, so they must wait two days for their clothes to dry.
Some relevant facts worth noting is that there is little variation between the electricity consumption from month-to-month in Colombia because the weather remains more-or-less constant given its proximity to the equator. In contrast, my family’s electric bill in Houston varies between 1400 and 600 kwh, while our gas consumption varies between 1 and 88 ccf depending on the season. According to the EIA, the average monthly household electricity consumption in the US is 936 kwh, which far exceeds the consumption of my middle to upper-class Colombian relatives. The average per-capita electricity consumption in Colombia is 828 kwh per year according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and this average includes electricity consumed across the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.
This data is only a narrow snapshot of differences in energy consumption, but it gives me a greater appreciation for the amount of energy my family consumes in the US. I want to conclude by mentioning that in my four trips to Colombia over the past five years, I have seen many signs of remarkable growth and improvement. Colombia is only one of many rapidly developing countries that are aspiring to enjoy our standard of living, and a comprehensive strategy will have to be developed to supply this growing demand.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Wind Power Brings Down the Clearing Price of Electricity
I will beging working as a wind developer after graduating from UT in May. In doing my preliminary research for my Master's thesis, I stumbled upon a white paper that discusses the central issue that my thesis will examine: how has introducing wind power into the ERCOT grid (i.e. the Texas grid) impacted wholesale electricity prices (and ultimately the prices paid by the end consumer).
It turns out that, contrary to wind opponent claims that developing wind power actually increases the power price on a given power grid, wind actually brings down the clearing price of electricity by offsetting the most expensive generators. Studies of the German grid have shown this to be the case, and I will be doing some simple modeling to try to estimate the effect in ERCOT.
The paper is worth a look. It can be found by clicking here.
It turns out that, contrary to wind opponent claims that developing wind power actually increases the power price on a given power grid, wind actually brings down the clearing price of electricity by offsetting the most expensive generators. Studies of the German grid have shown this to be the case, and I will be doing some simple modeling to try to estimate the effect in ERCOT.
The paper is worth a look. It can be found by clicking here.
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