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Google has been tinkering with the idea of a floating, wave-powered data center for a while, but it looks like a better solution could come from a more basic power source: manure. Hewlett Packard has released a research paper that states that tech companies like themselves, Google and Microsoft could benefit from a partnership with dairy farmers, using the cattle waste for fuel.
The research paper says that the dairy farmers could rent out land and power to the tech companies with a return on investment in waste-to-fuel systems in two years, making it a great arrangement for the farmers too. Farmers want to build biogas plants where manure is processed and the methane produced is used in place of natural gas or diesel, but the cost of equipment is often too expensive for them to finance on their own. This is where the tech companies come in.
As companies move their larger and larger data centers into rural areas with plenty of land, teaming up with local farms seems to be a natural fit -- farmers need a way to get rid of the vast amounts of waste and tech companies need an affordable, clean source of energy.
An average cow produces enough manure to power a 100-watt light bulb and 10,000 cows could potentially power a 1-MW data center, a small computing center. But another possible link between the farms and companies is that the biogas systems require a lot of heat to make fuel and computing equipment in data centers produce a lot of waste heat, so a loop could be created where the biogas plant powers the data center and the waste heat from the data center helps power the biogas plant.
The paper sees California and Texas as being the testing grounds in the U.S. for this partnership, while China and India could also benefit from such an arrangement.
via NY Times
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written by Tom Konrad, May 19, 2010
What was your source for the 100w per cow statistic? I came up with the same number here:http://cleanenergywonk.com/2009/11/23/national-coutput-or-cows-per-mw/ but my methods were far from rigorous.
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written by VeruTek Green Technologies, May 19, 2010
It certainly puts a new twist to eco-friendly 
. While I understand the push, I can't see where the research has come from in regards to a cow producing 100-w.
. While I understand the push, I can't see where the research has come from in regards to a cow producing 100-w.
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written by Commercial Solar Systems, May 20, 2010
I agree with Carl on one major point. It seems that it will take a BUNCH of cows to power a Google Data Center. Those places push the limit on air conditioning standards. In fact, Google has mentioned at conferences that one of the few limitations they have is the physical need to reduce the heat from the pizza boxes (servers).
They created their own OS, reconfigured how the hardware of a server is set up and minified the processes. But it all comes down to keeping the machines running cool. Lot's of energy is used just to cool the room down. Solar systems really need to be explored too.
They created their own OS, reconfigured how the hardware of a server is set up and minified the processes. But it all comes down to keeping the machines running cool. Lot's of energy is used just to cool the room down. Solar systems really need to be explored too.
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written by Matt, May 21, 2010
As usual we always seem to look to the coasts to "try something new". The midwest however can and DOES generate power from Biogas. Wisconsin has over 31 "Cow Power" generators in the state. DIgesters are huge value for several reasons including producing fertilizer that is more environmentally friendly.
See the link below for details
http://www.dairydoingmore.org/Feature.aspx?articleId=102
See the link below for details
http://www.dairydoingmore.org/Feature.aspx?articleId=102
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written by Timetrvlr, May 21, 2010
Good post...lousy title. No, we should not forget about wave power or any other renewable energy source. We need all of them, wave power wouldn't be a good solution for the heartland, but poo power is the best solution for places with feed lots and dairies.
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written by Sue, May 24, 2010
It is well known that poo is a medium that is loved by many pathogens. Eat the stuff accidentally and you can get very sick. Witness the E-Coli outbreaks associagted with lettuce and other produce.
What is to stop these plants from becoming a concentrated source of pathogens and a threat to neighborhoods?
What is to stop these plants from becoming a concentrated source of pathogens and a threat to neighborhoods?
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written by Jak, May 24, 2010
I think modern society must change to use more of its waste material than it currently does. A very wasteful example is today's funeral industry. Cremation is very popular but it creates a lot of CO2 and uses a lot of energy all in the name of sentimentality.
The funeral industry must be reformed in order to allow bio-digester funerals. Instead of ones loved ones going up in smoke and CO2 why not allow them to power up all the iPods in your city?
For the sentimental types perhaps the head of the loved one could be given a traditional burial or shrunk and plastinated in lieu of an urn full of ashes for the mantel piece.
Following the laws of scale, in a large city the holder of a successful bio-digester funeral home franchise would be in a position to make large revenues from the sale of electricity.
Funeral homes could offer sliding energy rebates with pathologically obese cadavers being the most valuable in terms of recoverable energy. Funeral homes could perhaps even share the profits with the loved ones in these cases thus ensuring healthy competition.
The funeral industry must be reformed in order to allow bio-digester funerals. Instead of ones loved ones going up in smoke and CO2 why not allow them to power up all the iPods in your city?
For the sentimental types perhaps the head of the loved one could be given a traditional burial or shrunk and plastinated in lieu of an urn full of ashes for the mantel piece.
Following the laws of scale, in a large city the holder of a successful bio-digester funeral home franchise would be in a position to make large revenues from the sale of electricity.
Funeral homes could offer sliding energy rebates with pathologically obese cadavers being the most valuable in terms of recoverable energy. Funeral homes could perhaps even share the profits with the loved ones in these cases thus ensuring healthy competition.
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written by James, May 24, 2010
I love the thought of Microsoft being powered by poo - it's a rather satisfying notion. As for Jak's comments - a little morbid maybe? The thought of having a loved one's head 'shrunk' is a little disturbing. I do, of course, understand the point you're trying to make.
www.thecarbonneutralproject.blogspot.com
www.thecarbonneutralproject.blogspot.com
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written by Greening England, May 25, 2010
This is sooo cool - so how many cows would be needed to power a regular size house? Could you use goat poo
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written by Doug Hawley, May 28, 2010
Several years ago, a fellow down in Tucson was cremating horses (experimentally) with a solar furnace. Apparently he was a few years ahead of his time.
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written by Zach Hunter, May 28, 2010
The concept is great, but look at the big picture - this is paying for yet another byproduct of the most inefficient, wasteful (C02, clearcutting) industry that exists today 
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written by Erik, May 28, 2010
This is a very good step being taken.
I love the synergy: Biogas processing require 70°C temp, data center has lots of extra heat that must be removed.
However, I would prefer that biogas that has been produced be used in cars instead of to produce electricity. That way we reduce the carbon dioxide emissions.
Also, the point should be made that manure left on a field, will naturally release methane gas, a strong greenhouse gas. Which makes the use of manure even better.
Finally the end result of the biogas reactor is
fertilizer with a higher concentration of ammonium which crops can take up easier than that of regular fertilizer.
All in all this is win win situation
I love the synergy: Biogas processing require 70°C temp, data center has lots of extra heat that must be removed.
However, I would prefer that biogas that has been produced be used in cars instead of to produce electricity. That way we reduce the carbon dioxide emissions.
Also, the point should be made that manure left on a field, will naturally release methane gas, a strong greenhouse gas. Which makes the use of manure even better.
Finally the end result of the biogas reactor is
fertilizer with a higher concentration of ammonium which crops can take up easier than that of regular fertilizer.
All in all this is win win situation
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written by josh, May 29, 2010
The photo depicts cows on an open farm with hills of grass as far as those cows can see. The reality is cattle, including dairy cows, are raised in Compact Animal Feedlot Operations (CAFOs). They're factory farms. They rely on corn based feed that requires oil derived fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Then trucked to the cattle. Plus there are the atrocities that the animals live in.
It's great that they'll be able to mitigate all the manure the cattle produce, but CAFOs are environmentally devastating.
It's great that they'll be able to mitigate all the manure the cattle produce, but CAFOs are environmentally devastating.
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written by Mia, May 30, 2010
There's a dairy farm out here in my state that's already doing this. Trash landfills that produce methane can be used too.
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written by Markb, May 30, 2010
What is that old data aphorism - garbage in > garbage out? Are we going to need to update this for energy sources in the new millenium?
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written by Markb, May 30, 2010
It is worth noting, in response to Sue on May 24th, that the dangerous e.coli are a rather unnatural phenomenon of grain-fed industrial cattle. Most e.coli won't do more than give us the runs if that - we have lived closely with it for millenia, and we have our version in our gut, and (where our guts terminate. too)
And yes, industrial poop from grain-fed cattle would be a good source of methane, and a good use of a dangerous thing. The composting process also kills these pathogens, I think. A nice turn of events.
And yes, industrial poop from grain-fed cattle would be a good source of methane, and a good use of a dangerous thing. The composting process also kills these pathogens, I think. A nice turn of events.
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written by Jodie, Cool IT Challenge, Greenpeace, June 01, 2010
The IT industry can ensure that the growing energy demands of new and existing data centers are met without increasing demand for dirty energy sources by following three rules:
1. Establish a data center siting policy: commit to siting new data centers in locations where renewable sources of energy are available and can be maximized -- not all grids are created equal.
2. Avoid Coal: Facebook, eBay, and other cloud-based computing services have recently announced the opening of new data centers in coal-powered states. Coal is a leading source of global greenhouse gas emissions. IT companies must prioritize renewable energy to fuel the cloud.
3. Advocate: Use significant political influence to advocate for policies and incentives on a local and national level that increase deployment and availability of renewable energy sources.
Greenpeace's Cool IT Challenge blog goes deeper: http://www.greenpeace.org/inte...blog/11961
1. Establish a data center siting policy: commit to siting new data centers in locations where renewable sources of energy are available and can be maximized -- not all grids are created equal.
2. Avoid Coal: Facebook, eBay, and other cloud-based computing services have recently announced the opening of new data centers in coal-powered states. Coal is a leading source of global greenhouse gas emissions. IT companies must prioritize renewable energy to fuel the cloud.
3. Advocate: Use significant political influence to advocate for policies and incentives on a local and national level that increase deployment and availability of renewable energy sources.
Greenpeace's Cool IT Challenge blog goes deeper: http://www.greenpeace.org/inte...blog/11961
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written by frisbee, June 03, 2010
Biogas out of cow poo seems to be quite an efficient and reletively ecofriendly way of energy conversion. But how about the extra (fossile) energy costs that arise when you move data centers out of the cities to rural areas? Not only the initial costs, but moreover all the employees that go back and forth from their home city to the rural data centers every day. I wonder how these extra costs compare to the only benefit of moving the data centers: the reuse of heat from data centers in the proces of creating biogas.
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written by FF, October 13, 2012
Be interested to hear how this technology is advancing, after all, poo supply is not a problem!
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Cars charged with solar power is a really bad idea (in the near future). Since cars can be charged overnight when there is excess generation, solar should be used to reduce peak daytime electric demand.
Note that generating electricity from digester gas generates much more heat than required by the digesters. Farms use the waste heat for the houses and barns. No heat is required from a data center.
Usually data centers are built near the internet exchange points, because expensive (and power consuming) transmission lines need to be built. The electric grid lines are usually already present. In the case of a dairy farm, cow power is best used to power nearby villages.