Apple contradicts the claims of Greenpeace over ‘dirty’ data centers

Apple contradicts the claims of Greenpeace that its data centers to a high degree dependent on polluting energy sources like coal and nuclear power plants. Greenpeace also appoints ‘dirty’ data centers of IBM, Microsoft and Amazon.

In the report ‘How Clean is Your Cloud?’ assesses Greenpeace the energy mix of various data centers that large companies worldwide have run. According to the list scored below other Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and IBM are relatively bad, because they are according to the calculations of the environmental organisation, a lot of energy devoid, which is generated in coal and nuclear power plants. Companies like Google, Dell and Yahoo would be a significantly larger portion of their energy mix involving green energy sources, such as hydropower and wind power.

Apple states, however, that a part of the figures of Greenpeace are not correct. A spokesperson of the company states that its new iCloud data center the most environmentally sound data center ever built. According to Apple, would the data center, only a fifth of energy devoid than the estimate of Greenpeace do believe. Also would the data center that is under construction in the state of North Carolina, once in operation, 60 percent of the energy required involvement from renewable energy sources.

Despite the fact that Apple more transparency seems to want to go on his energiekeuzes that it makes, the company is not in on the claims of Greenpeace that a large part of its current data centers are largely dependent on power derived from coal-fired power plants. Also considers Greenpeace that Apple has more than enough money in cash to additional investments in green energy projects, and to exert pressure on the government to energy policy in the US to change.

Amazon has also criticized the report of Greenpeace. The company claims against The Guardian that cloud computing is more environmentally friendly than the ‘traditional’ use of computers, and that Greenpeace wrong calculations apply. By data of a large number of companies just to concentrate in a limited number of data centres there would be less CO2 to be produced, as it believes the cloud provider.

In the Greenpeace report, the energy mix and consumption of data centers in the Netherlands are described. According to the figures verstookten data centers in 2010 to 1.3 TWh, a doubling compared to 2005. In 2020 the verstookte amount of energy is expected to triple.

Greenpeace calls in the Netherlands three companies with large data centers that have a hefty energiehonger: GlobalSwitch in Amsterdam, that is in the hands of Microsoft, Googles data center in Eemshaven and the data centers of BT. They would be the most energy – about 60 percent – of-fired gas plants and about 20 percent of coal-fired power plants. Approximately 10 percent is derived from green energy sources, while 3.5 percent of the consumed power is generated in nuclear power plants. About 7% come from ‘other sources’, including the import of electricity.