Monday, December 07, 2009

Green Energy = Big Business

Undiluted capitalism, without any environmental claims.

This post on
Energy & Capital: Practical Investment Analysis in the New Energy Economy confirms conventional wisdom that energy use is on the rise, then proceeds to make a case for cutting data center costs.

The logic is as follows:

“Intel executives have said publicly that 2010 will be the year that lifetime electricity costs (about 4 years) for a single server outweigh the sticker price of the hardware. That'd be like buying a $25,000 car that used more than $6,000 per year in gas.

You'd be in the market for a more efficient car, right?

That's exactly what internet executives are thinking. At the recent Emerging Technologies conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one executive was quoted saying that ‘profits will deteriorate dramatically if data center costs don't get contained.’ "

The author, Nick Hodge, equates smart grid development with profits for investors, without any whiff of idealism.

Is his theory correct? Are energy efficient innovations going to line the pockets of those who get there first?

Be the first to reply!