New Law Lets Data Centers Hide Power Usage 208
1sockchuck writes "Just days after Google announced that it may build a huge data center in the state, Oklahoma's governor has signed a bill into law that will effectively exempt the largest customers of municipal power companies from public disclosure of how much power they are using. Officials of the state's power industry say the measure is not a 'Google Law' but was sought 'on behalf of large-volume electric users that might be considering a move to Oklahoma.' Others acknowledge that data center operators were among those seeking the law, apparently arguing that the details of their enormous power usage are a trade secret. Google recently acquired 800 acres in Pryor, Oklahoma for possible development as a data center, and is reportedly seeking up to 15 megawatts of power for the facility."
I am not an Economist, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Power Companies are granted monopolies by the public. Part of the deal is that, because the power companies are granted a monopoly by the public, they have to publicize all transactions they undertake.
Why? Otherwise, you could have sweat-heart deals between the power companies and their customers. Instead of paying the power company (and thereby the people) for your power usage, you could pay the owners of the power company to give you a huge discount. The power copmany then can just raise rates on consumers who have no say in who gives them power. By forcing the company to keep the books open, you prevent the possibility of impropriety.
I would argue that such issues are a good reason to switch to more heavily privatized models. Ideally, the government would maintain the infrastructure, and anybody who wanted could add power to the grid. That'd be sweet.
Re:Cheap not so green electricity ? (Score:5, Informative)
There are now more than 100 cvilian nuclear plants operating in the US, 109 I think from a recent PBS segment. There was only one accident in the US in civilian nuclear plants, nobody was injured, no radiation released.
The Chernobyl accident was due to poor maintenance and not following the established rules, i.e. human error and/or incomptence.
In France there are about 60 generating 80% of their electricty and exporting to the neighboring countries. France has the lowest air pollution of all industrialized countries.
Depleted uranium is due to military use and has nothing to do with civilian nuclear use.
I just can't understand why people who claim to understand science or at least the scientific process cannot go past the "nuclear bad" mantra... and by the way, I consider myself to be an environmentalist...
Re:Trade Secret? (Score:3, Informative)
Back in the days, when the Japanese where trying to break into the American automotive market, they used to send groups over to measure the rust on the rail tracks.
Why?
Because it would then be simple to know how often the trains where running, how much wear on the tracks (thus how big and heavy the trains are), and a whole host of other tidbits which would be useful in competition.
So now, you know that Google's newest complex needs X amount of power, and using some IP tools, you can see what traffic is going on in and out of the data center- thus a measurement can be made of the power usage per user, and from that you can determine if the data center is being efficient, and how well it scales.
I'm sure smarter people than me can go on even more...
Re:Cheap not so green electricity ? (Score:5, Informative)
A)There pile was way too big, and the rods weren't gravity assisted. The structure design was shody.
B)The people running it were former Hydro managers and had no nuclear training.
C)They shut down all the safety and then intentional forced a shut down.
But remember , even if B and C happened in the US, there still would not be an 'Chernobyl event because of its design.
How much radiation escaped from 3 mile island?
why, here is a quote:
. "The average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation received by US residents in a year."
How many people might get cancer from three mile island? 1. But as of yet thee possible '1' hasn't happened.
Military use of depleted uranium has nothing to do with this.
Now that we got that out of the way, you might want to check up an how many nuclear plants there are operating without a hitch.
Add to that the new plans that are out there and some of the cool self contained stuff.
If we want to clean the air, we must start building new nuclear plant and shutting down coal. I believe more cancer causing stuff was put in the air over the last 5 years then has every been released form nuclear power plants.
you need to distinguish (Score:5, Informative)
A power company is not just a power company. There are 3 distinct pieces and each one gets treated separately according to the law and society. Generation makes the power and is usually private (in Okla). Yes, there are muni's and co-ops but in general, Okla power generation is privately owned. Transmission is long haul transmission and it is regulated in Okla like it is in most (48) states. Distribution is step down and delivery to customers and it, too, is regulated (by the Public Utilities Commission). When you talk about deregulation of the power industry, you are usually talking about the distribution part. Generation, for the most part, has been unregulated for a long time.
Second, the situation you describe (subsidies from customers to large companies), is the very reason the PUC exists -- to keep everyone honest and protect consumers. And you'll just have to trust me on this one...no power company in their right mind wants to tangle with the PUC here in Okla.
Now, the article in question is talking about municipality owned generation so yes, it is still a concern. But please realize that it's not just the "power" company. There is much more to it than that and its important to understand all the pieces.
Re:I am not an Economist, but... (Score:3, Informative)
You and the board are (hopefully) laughing all the way to the jail, er, bank.
Re:Cheap not so green electricity ? (planes) (Score:3, Informative)
The plane vaporizes, and the wall remains intact [google.com].
I don't think that's the answer you expected, but that is the truth.
I can see my neighbor's power bill (Score:3, Informative)
Have you ever tried? Where I live, the power company is required to disclose this to anyone who asks. It's a very common practice if you are buying a house (or even looking for an apartment to rent) to call the utility company and get the current occupant's bills, as a way to estimate what your own utility costs will be.
Don't believe me? Just ask Al Gore. [go.com]
Re:I am not an Economist, but... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Cheap not so green electricity ? (planes) (Score:3, Informative)
Whether twice the damage done to the test block in that video matters is an exercise for the reader.
I love that video btw.