Jump to navigation
  • News Feed
  • Services
    • 3BL Professional
    • Sponsored Series
    • 3BL CSRwire
    • ReportAlert
    • Green Bond Alert
    • Special Announcement
    • Custom Webcasts
  • Community
    • TriplePundit
    • 3BL Forum
    • CEO of the Year Awards
    • 100 Best Corporate Citizens
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Search
  • News Feed
  • Services
    • 3BL Professional
    • Sponsored Series
    • 3BL CSRwire
    • ReportAlert
    • Green Bond Alert
    • Special Announcement
    • Custom Webcasts
  • Community
    • TriplePundit
    • 3BL Forum
    • CEO of the Year Awards
    • 100 Best Corporate Citizens
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Search

Search form

Header Nav

  • Login

Powering Data Centers with Renewable Energy

Powering Data Centers with Renewable Energy
Dave Armon
Tuesday, Sep 20th, 2016

The typical Internet data center consumes as much electricity as a small U.S. state, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist, Rob Bernard, told attendees at the Verge 16 sustainability conference in Silicon Valley today.

As oceans warm, lakes dry up and water systems collapse due to climate change, the tech giants enabling cloud computing are mobilizing so surfing the web doesn’t contribute to the problem.

“It’s easy to get discouraged,” Bernard acknowledged, recommending attendees read the e-book, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution,” by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, to gain perspective on tech’s role our global plight.

Microsoft is already carbon-neutral and is powered by 40-45 percent wind, hydro and solar, said Bernard. The company has committed to reach 50 percent renewable energy by the end of 2018, 60 percent early in the next decade and to keep improving from there.

Bernard praised innovators marrying technology to deliver renewable energy at scale in developing nations.                                                  

In East Africa, for example, more than 500 households a day are replacing dirty wood and kerosene fuel by connecting to community solar energy projects built by M-KOPA, said Bernard.

  • Dave Armon's blog

CSR Bloggers

Alice Korngold - Korngold Consulting

Andrea Learned - Learned On

Benjamin Comer - Pharma Executive

Beth Bengston - Hale Advisors

Celesa Horvath - Making Sense of Responsibility

Chris Jarvis - Realized Worth

David Chase - Forbes

David Connor - Coethica

David Williams - Health Business Blog

Dorothy Davis - All Energy All the Time

Dr. Scott M. Shemwell - Governing Energy

Elaine Cohen - CSR Reporting

Future 500

James Epstein-Reeves - Citizen Polity

Joe Waters - Selfish Giving

Julie Urlaub - Taiga Company

Kate Olsen - Companies for Good

Marc Gunther - Green Biz

Marcy Murninghan - Murninghan Post

Matthew Rochte - Opportunity Sustainability

Maxwell Drommond International - Human Capital: A Global Perspective

Megan Strand - Cause Marketing Forum

Monika Mitchell - Good-B

Paul Klein - Forbes

Stephen Heiser - Nuclear Knowledge

Tracy Lloyd - Emotive Brand

Wayne Visser - CSR International

Will Henley - Responsibility Inc.

© 3BL MEDIA, LLC

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
3BL Media, LLC
136 West St Ste 104
Northampton, MA 01060
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Find Us on Social

Latest from Leading Brands

  • 3BL Professional
  • 3BL CSRwire
  • 3BL ReportAlert

Editorial & Leadership

  • TriplePundit
  • 3BL Forum
  • 100 Best Corporate Citizens