> Furthermore, much of this energy consumption is generated by coal — even ‘green companies’ will often buy carbon offset credits rather than invest in the ener

> Furthermore, much of this energy consumption is generated by coal — even ‘green companies’ will often buy carbon offset credits rather than invest in the energy storage required for 24/7 solar or wind power. Plain bullshit. One of the reasons Facebook and Google have datacenters in Oregon (FB at Prineville and Google at The Dalles) is the availability of cheap renewable energy from the Columbia River. And the companies don't buy carbon offset. The author has no idea how electricity markets work. They buy renewable electricity contracts, for example: http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/content-tracks/power-cooling/google-buys-up-62mw-of-dutch-wind-power/91896.article http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/content-tracks/power-cooli... The author seems more preoccupied with the sesquipedalian loquaciousness than with actual facts.