- 24
- MAY
- 2010
Cow compooting
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: CSR & Green
HP believes that a cattle herd of 10,000 can power 1,000 servers in their data centres. Unleashing the power of the cow may energise a new generation of eco-friendly technology facilities.
In a recent research paper, HP outlines how manure can be converted into enough energy for a medium-sized data centre and the farm facilities. The PIU is always concerned with cow welfare, and we are pleased to see that the scheme involves no undue bovine distress.
Using a system of anaerobic digestion, cow effluent is organically broken down and the resultant methane can fuel electricity producing turbines. The heat emissions of data centres can be channelled to facilitate the digestion process. HP believes that a single cow can generate 3 kWh of electricity a day.
Many data centres are considering moves to cheaper, rural areas, making the two, apparently diverse, industries increasingly close. The move can also represent a major cash cow for farmer, netting an estimated US$2 million a year from selling livestock produce.
It is surprising that cows could produce the sweet scent of success as well as expelling 20 metric tonnes of manure a year and 500 litres of methane daily. Methane is 21 times more environmentally damaging as carbon dioxide, with agriculture accounting for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Although HP executives can give themselves a pat on the back, one must wonder as to the practicality of the scheme. How does one gather the daily offerings of 10,000 cows? Will HP design a cow-friendly lavatory?
The data centres of Google and Microsoft use approximately 25,000 servers each, requiring a quarter of a million cows - although India's herd of 282 million - 28% of the total world cow population - may provide another competitive advantage for the Indian IT outsourcing industry.
It is not difficult to discount the idea, but the involvement of HP in developing a novel solution to climate change is comment-worthy nonetheless. Energy-intensive business operations have received increased interest from companies, mainly because their high levels of electricity consumption are considered unsustainable and the next likely target for government regulators.
Most analysts believe that US energy use will become increasingly regulated and data centres will be liable to large carbon taxes. The potency of bovine output, however, may provide a cheaper alternative to procuring carbon-intensive fossil fuel sources.
If the technology companies wish to continue operating the same business models, innovative solutions by companies are demanded. Organisations will need to milk more of their international innovative potential if they wish to reduce their exposure to future carbon taxation. And although ideas such as these might seem a little far-fetched at first, they may shape more of business organisational spend in the future.
