Should data centers install photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays to provide electric power? The answer for some data centers is an unqualified “yes.” Companies and facilities that are planning to install, or have installed, PV systems to provide some portion of needed power include i/o Phoenix One, Google, AISO, Sonoma Mountain, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, BendBroadband Vault, DataScan Technologies, Facebook, and Intel.
I could not be more opposed to Chris Escher’s letter in your May/June issue. Having worked and lived in California from 1990 until 2005, it is the worst place to operate a business and to live. Things have gotten so bad, that California is now rated as the 51st place that anyone would want to start a business. The personal and corporate tax rate is high and will get higher. California’s government prevents any innovation, and their regulations add cost to everything. What guarantee does he have that SMUD will have any more power available to sell to his site?