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Microsoft Pollutes To Avoid Fines

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the kafka-runs-the-power-company dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft's Quincy data center, physical home of Bing and Hotmail, was fined $210,000 last year because the data center used too little electricity. To avoid similar penalties for 'underconsumption of electricity' this year, the data center burned through $70,000 worth of electricity in three days."

4 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. stupid inaccurate title as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It was a perfectly sane response to the situation, and btw the generation is from hydro so really what added pollution was there?
     

    1. Re:stupid inaccurate title as usual by rgbrenner · · Score: 5, Informative

      Microsoft signed an agreement to use X amount of electricity, almost certainly to get a lower price per kwh. They then used/purchased less electricity than they agreed to, and no longer qualified for the discount (hence the 210k "fine").

      What's the problem here?

      Can I get the same agreement for my home? I "promise" I'll use 1 billion kwh/month. Same pricing if I don't though.. right?

    2. Re:stupid inaccurate title as usual by Your.Master · · Score: 5, Informative

      And actually, according to this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/technology/data-centers-in-rural-washington-state-gobble-power.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www

      That's the same argument Microsoft made. The utility company tried to call their bluff, Microsoft wasn't bluffing so they started their heaters, and the utility company folded.

  2. Re:PPA's by ewanm89 · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is a an economical way to store large amounts of electricity though, it's called pumped storage plant, basically it's a hydroelectric plant where the generators and turbines can be used in reverse to pump water back up to the top reservoir, then when needed it's released again to get electricity again. Turning a mountain into a very big gravity powered rechargeable battery.