kstinfo t1_j0iuvsu wrote on December 16, 2022 at 11:38 PM

Why isn't this water recycled? And where does it go after Google has used it?

NickDanger3di t1_j0ixqlc wrote on December 17, 2022 at 12:00 AM

One user suggests they are using evaporative cooling to cool the entire building, which is quite possible. On the other hand, using standard AC units would use zero water, but cost google more money.

Ironically, on the home google page, they proudly state Carbon neutral since 2007. Now we know how they manage that, huh?

xthorgoldx t1_j0jp9qc wrote on December 17, 2022 at 3:50 AM

>cost more money

Y'all are fixating on this as if it's the damning element... But it's not "more money," it's "more energy."

Using a sealed cooling loop would preserve water, sure, but you'd be covering more electricity to arbitrate that heat transfer. Electricity has to come from somewhere.

Soft-Cryptographer-1 t1_j0j5m41 wrote on December 17, 2022 at 1:03 AM

They use chiller units which are evap coolers. Indoor sports stadiums in my area don't need as many chillers as a single data center... Its pretty wild seeing them from the base of the structure, very death star canyon esque.

PumpDragn t1_j0k1tlz wrote on December 17, 2022 at 5:57 AM

The short answer to this question is that they either pay a premium for “green” energy on grids where it is readily available, or subsidize by funding green energy projects across the nation to make these claims.

Is every watt used from a green source? Definitely not… are they really offsetting enough with subsidies to be truly carbon neutral? Hard to say. That is the goal though.