Company consumed 2.3B kilowatt hours in 2010
(NEWSER) - So how much juice does it take for Google to power all its searches and servers, not to mention email and YouTube? Lots, as in 2.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2010, reports the San Jose Mercury News . That's enough for about 200,000 houses. The company released its energy figures for the first time today, and one exec tells the New York Times that while the number sounds enormous, critics should consider that Google helps the world save energy, too. People can search by computer, for example, rather than driving to the library. Google also notes that each user only consumes about 180 watt-hours a month—which is equivalent to running a 60-watt light bulb for three hours. More»
