Apple Expanding NC Green Data Center

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Apple Expanding NC Green Data Center

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 19, 2012 @06:34AM from the runs-entirely-on-moonshine dept.

The North Carolina data center that Apple has touted as especially earth-friendly (for having biogas-fueled generators, for one thing) will soon have a smaller companion; Apple is expanding its presence, according to filings reported over at Slash DataCenter, with another 21,000-plus square foot facility at the same site. "Apple also plans to build a hydrogen fuel-cell facility in the area, at least based on other filed permits. That would complement the solar-array installations under construction. Apple has claimed that some 60 percent of the data center facility’s power will be generated onsite. As it stands now, the Maiden facility already incorporates energy-efficient design elements, including real-time energy monitoring and analytics."

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FIRST STEVE JOBS DISS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 06:40 · Score: -1

frosty in ya face, bitch!
And the Other 40%? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 06:44 · Score: -1

Apple has claimed that some 60 percent of the data center facility’s power will be generated onsite.
So the other 40% will come from FoxConn's Matrix Facility?
1. Re:And the Other 40%? by ackthpt · 2012-07-19 06:53 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Apple has claimed that some 60 percent of the data center facility’s power will be generated onsite.
  So the other 40% will come from FoxConn's Matrix Facility?
  It'll be coming from the smog-enshrouded shack out back, surrounded by oil drums labeled "Do NOT open under ANY circumstances!"
  Nah, probably just off the grid .. it's not totally green, it's just greenER.
  Meanwhile, while noodling around Sonoma County in my greenhouse gas emitting vehicle, I found an entire ranch being powered by 1 wind turbine. Very impressive feat. I wonder if they ship their excess to the grid for a few bucks. Some of these turbines crank out 1.5 megawatts and this one was turning at a pretty fair clip.
  
  --
  
  A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Green Apple data center? by pecosdave · 2012-07-19 06:51 · Score: 3, Funny

Why don't we just call it the Granny Smith Data Center?
Or the GSDC for short.

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The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
Hypocritics! by onyxruby · 2012-07-19 06:51 · Score: -1, Troll

Apple,
Any company that blatantly chooses profit over the environment when the know better should be prohibited from using the word "Green" in any marketing manner until they repent. Dropping out of epeat to avoid making the new macbook pro service / upgrade friendly (at a cost of less than a millimeter)?
Apple, you are not an eco friendly company and need called on the carpet for the hypocrites that you are! Repent and change your ways, you are but green heathens!
1. Re:Hypocritics! by girlintraining · 2012-07-19 07:11 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  *dons asbestos flame retardant clothing* Well, the Apple fanboys are gonna hate this... I'll be impressed if my reply last 5 minutes before getting modded into oblivion... but the truth is, you're going easy on them.
  Don't forget their solution to suiciding workers due to poor working conditions was to install netting outside the buildings... and only started to address poor working conditions at the FoxConn plant after Jon Stewart and a host of other journalists named and shamed their practices. And those poor working conditions included... vats of boiling acid. I'm not shitting you; That's how you etch circuit boards, and they had the most lax safety standards of any factory the independent observers sent in had ever seen. I don't know if anyone actually fell in or anything, but parts of the FoxConn factory resembled James Bond sets. I half expected to see shark tanks and lasers. And this is China we're talking about -- a country that's strip-mining its own resources for exportation in electronics. Bejing, where the factory is, has smog so thick that it can and has killed people who didn't heed the air quality sirens. It's like the smog you see in the opening scenes for the Fifth Element.
  Apple isn't green to begin with, and when you look at their business partners, the picture gets even more bleak. But then, what would you expect from a company with the largest market capitalization of any country in the world, and has the largest cash reserves?
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
2. Re:Hypocritics! by mcgrew · 2012-07-19 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  It's like the smog you see in the opening scenes for the Fifth Element.
  I just watched that movie last night, and the opening scenes were first in Egypt, then outer space and whatever the capitol of the world was. The only thing that resembled smog was called fog, when Willis was running from the cops.
  I think you're confusing it with Blade Runner. US cities used to look like that before the EPA was established.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
3. Re:Hypocritics! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 07:48 · Score: 0
  
  No, you'll get flamed for posting bullshit and lies and flat out pig ignorance. Seriously, I know it's impossible to ever convince people like you, but you are being a MASSIVE shithead here. There's just no way to tunnel through the bullshit in your skull to ever let the light of truth in. Maybe Minecraft Steve can help us here, and OH SHIT! CREEPER!
  *BOOM*
4. Re:Hypocritics! by Geoffrey.landis · 2012-07-19 08:02 · Score: 2
  
  To be fair, it turns out that much of the reporting of the "poor working conditions" you refer to was from Mike Daisey, who, as it turns out, just made stuff up because it made a better storyline for his one-man show cf. Slashdot: This American Life Retracts Episode On Apple Factories In China
  
  --
  http://www.geoffreylandis.com
5. Re:Hypocritics! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 08:05 · Score: 0
  
  ... before the EPA was established
  There were flying cars and cyborgs? Damn epa!
6. Re:Hypocritics! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 09:29 · Score: 0
  
  Kind of like you making shit up about what he did?
  His failing is that he didn't independently verify some of what was reported to him by workers in the factories. He didn't make anything up out of whole cloth just to add to his show.
7. Re:Hypocritics! by onyxruby · 2012-07-19 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  I don't think my post lasted 5 minutes before being modded into oblivion by the apple fanboi base. Dare to speak against the holy temple? Troll! Is there truth in what you say? Doesn't matter, bury it anyways!!!!!
  Ghandi said it best. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win".
  /refuses to conform to group think and give apple a pass on bad corporate behavior just because they make shiny things.
Man ... by 0racle · 2012-07-19 06:52 · Score: 1

Greenpeace is going to be PISSED.

--
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
1. Re:Man ... by Anubis+IV · 2012-07-19 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed. I'm sure that once they factor this into their ever-so-accurate estimates, they'll have numbers indicating this data center consumes more energy than the state of Texas.
Meanwhile in China... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 06:54 · Score: -1

Everything is perfectly fine just ask anyone!
Bullshit As Usual by sexconker · 2012-07-19 06:54 · Score: 1

They're using "bio gas", solar panels, and hydrogen fuel cells.
All of these things are terrible in terms of efficiency when you consider the production of the gas, the panels, and the fuel cells.
The cleanest, most efficient forms of energy we have today are nuclear and hydroelectric, by far.
It's too bad the environmentalist morons who don't actually understand the fucking environment let alone a dam or an atom won't let us use them.
1. Re:Bullshit As Usual by 0racle · 2012-07-19 07:00 · Score: 2
  
  Damming rivers is often pretty bad for the surrounding environment. It is in no way 'environmentally friendly.' Cleaner than burning shit sure, but not friendly.
  
  Smash those atoms or GTFO.
  
  --
  "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
2. Re:Bullshit As Usual by drinkypoo · 2012-07-19 07:23 · Score: 2
  
  The cleanest, most efficient forms of energy we have today are nuclear and hydroelectric, by far.
  Uh no. The cleanest, most efficient forms of energy we have today are solar (preferably combination PV/thermal) and wind, by far.
  
  It's too bad the environmentalist morons who don't actually understand the fucking environment let alone a dam or an atom won't let us use them.
  Most of the people behind the environmental movement are a hell of a lot smarter than you are. They understand that dams do damage and that nuclear reactors managed by man and built by either the lowest bidder or the largest provider of pork are inherently unsafe due to human issues.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
3. Re:Bullshit As Usual by couchslug · 2012-07-19 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  Green hydro is quite practical without fucking up rivers.
  Check these folks out, especially the antique but highly effective machine tools and power generation components they use!
  http://www.frenchriverland.com/machine_shop.htm
  
  --
  "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
4. Re:Bullshit As Usual by kj_kabaje · 2012-07-19 07:35 · Score: 1
  
  That is very interesting stuff. Perhaps, to borrow your language a bit, they could hire a fucking website designer. Thanks for posting!
5. Re:Bullshit As Usual by busyqth · 2012-07-19 08:11 · Score: 1
  
  Damming rivers don't hurt the environment at all.
  What it does is change the local ecosystem from one state to another. That is harmful in the short term for species adapted to the previous state of the ecosystem, but beneficial for species adapted to the new state. Neither state is better. They are just different.
6. Re:Bullshit As Usual by sexconker · 2012-07-19 08:39 · Score: 1
  
  LOL Solar panels shit on the environment during production far more than they will ever help during their lifetimes.
  Wind farms only work in few places, take up tons of space, and require constant maintenance and oiling.
  Keep swallowing that agenda, though.
7. Re:Bullshit As Usual by drinkypoo · 2012-07-19 08:53 · Score: 1
  
  LOL Solar panels shit on the environment during production far more than they will ever help during their lifetimes.
  Thin-film solar PV panels pay off the energy cost of their production in three years and last for 15 or more.
  
  Wind farms only work in few places
  good thing we know how to move power around, then.
  
  take up tons of space
  What a colossally stupid thing to say. I guess you've never actually seen a wind farm, have you? The windmills use very little space. The space below them is still usable for many purposes, notably farming or ranching.
  
  and require constant maintenance and oiling
  Oh no, not oiling! We've only had the technology to do that for thousands of years!
  Wake me up when you have something intelligent to say.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
8. Re:Bullshit As Usual by SethJohnson · 2012-07-19 08:54 · Score: 1
  
  It's too bad the environmentalist morons who don't actually understand the fucking environment let alone a dam or an atom won't let us use them.
  The obstacle to nuclear isn't so much political as it is expensive. The start-up investment in building a nuclear reactor facility is massive, and the per-kw cost savings of generating power from nuclear isn't so great that it makes the investors a pile of money right away.
  
  Check this wikipedia article about the economics of nuclear power plants. Here is a choice quote that was sourced from The Atlantic:
  
  "One of the big problems with nuclear power is the enormous upfront cost. These reactors are extremely expensive to build. While the returns may be very great, they're also very slow. It can sometimes take decades to recoup initial costs. Since many investors have a short attention span, they don't like to wait that long for their investment to pay off."
  
  It's a long, slow process to put a project like this together from a financial perspective. When Fukushima happened, the federal government was very careful not to mouth-off about increasing regulations on nuclear power production. It would have jeopardized the projects currently collecting funding.
  
  If you think the environmental lobby is the obstacle to nuclear, I think you should compare the public resistance to fracking and other fossil fuels with public demonstrations against nuclear. The resistance isn't that significant.
  
  Seth
  
  --
  $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
I wonder... by Scragglykat · 2012-07-19 07:01 · Score: 4, Funny

will Apple be gluing the generators to the facility now so that they cannot be easily replaced?
iCigarette by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 07:02 · Score: -1

Listen, just because their facility doubles as a tobacco leaf drying facility, doesn't mean they're green.
CAPTCHA = remnant
Why not by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 07:10 · Score: 0, Funny

Why not use the surplus hot air from Apple's marketing department to drive wind generators?
There would be plenty of power 24/7.
My Big Gay Soapbox moment of the day... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-19 07:42 · Score: 0

Here is a thought:
Apple rewards NC with more business even though they don't support gay marriage.
I know Google also has a data center in Lenoir, NC.
http://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/lenoir/
Does anyone know if either company is choosing to take a stand in NC against the ban? I know Google has their Legalize Love campaign that in their words is: "a campaign to promote safer conditions for gay and lesbian people inside and outside the office in countries with anti-gay laws on the books." What about here at home in the land of liberty and justice for all?
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/07/08/google-pushes-marriage-equality-new-campaign
Wouldn't it be awesome if the Google doodle of every user using the Google service in NC (or any of the 30 states that have a ban against same sex marriage) changed to something in support of marriage equality until the ban was reversed. Put it in their faces all the time that this isn't right...
Maybe this is something that they, Apple and the other tech giants could come together on to improve the lives of the employee's as well as the community's that these centers are located in.
I know there are a lot of "US" in tech so share if you think you can help.
Apple Expanding NC Green Data Center by Cornwallis · 2012-07-19 08:00 · Score: 1

Sorry, but that is a contradiction in terms.
Built to Last by Sponge+Bath · 2012-07-19 08:13 · Score: 2

When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a data center on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, lad, the greenest data center in all of North Carolina!
1. Re:Built to Last by ixidor · 2012-07-19 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  but fahhhthur, i don't want any of that!!!! i want to sing ..... no no, stop that ..
A Person Who Lies is a Liar [Re:Hypocritics!] by Geoffrey.landis · 2012-07-19 10:42 · Score: 1

Kind of like you making shit up about what he did? His failing is that he didn't independently verify some of what was reported to him by workers in the factories.
Well, he said he personally met people that he did not meet, and that they told him their stories, when these people did not exist and the stories were things that he made up based on rumors he'd heard.
He also lied about the name of the translator who was with him during these purported interviews, and when "This American Life" asked to contact her to check the facts of the story, he told them she'd moved, changed her phone number, and could not be contacted, when when she had not changed her phone number nor moved nor would have been hard to contact if they knew her name. If his failng had been merely "he failed to independently verify," it seems a bit peculiar that he would lie to the producers and tell them it was impossible to contact his translator.
Some links:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/16/148761812/this-american-life-retracts-mike-daiseys-apple-factory-story
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2012/03/retracting-mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory/
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/460/retraction
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/theater/defending-this-american-life-and-its-mike-daisey-retraction.html
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/19/mike_daisey_and_the_inconvenient_truth/
The take-home lesson is that even if you think you're on the side of the angels, you shouldn't lie, because it makes people disbelieve anything you say. In fact, especially if you think you're on the side of the angels.

--
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
servers? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-24 08:59 · Score: 0

What servers does apple use in the datacenter? are there just a bunch of Mac Book Pro's on a shelf?
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swiss replica watches