Google to sell energy

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) has authorised Google Energy to buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility, reports CNET News.

As the agency with oversight of the US power grid, the Ferc signed an order granting Google Energy market-based rate authorisation. This paves the way for the search giant to not only better manage its own energy costs, but to possibly add electricity marketer to its repertoire of services.

The order specifically grants Google Energy, a subsidiary of Google, the rights "for the sale of energy, capacity, and ancillary services at market-based rates" while acknowledging that neither Google Energy nor its affiliates "own or control any generation or transmission" facilities.

The environmental group Greenpeace International says Facebook should rethink plans for its new Oregon data centre and are urging Facebook users to join a group calling for the new facility to run entirely on renewable energy, rather than using utility power that generates a majority of its power from coal, writes Data Center Knowledge.

“Given the massive amounts of electricity that even energy-efficient data centres consume to run computers, backup power units, and power-related cooling equipment, the last thing we need to be doing is building them in places where they are increasing demand for dirty coal-fired power,” says a group statement published on the Greenpeace Web site and The Huffington Post.

“Facebook and the cloud should be run on clean renewable energy ... Facebook could and should be championing clean energy solutions, and not relying on the dirty fuel sources of the past to power their new data centre.”

The telecoms industry should focus on four key areas where it can help cut carbon emissions, according to a report from Deloitte, states Computing.co.uk.

A separate report by Ovum estimated that the telecoms industry could enable reductions in global CO₂ emissions by between 5% and 10%.

The global telecoms industry itself generates 183 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, or, approximately 0.7% of global emissions - a carbon footprint comparable to the automotive and aviation sectors.