The staggering ecological impacts of computation and the cloud
I live near the Columbia River where Google, Facebook, Microsoft all have data centers that rely on hydroelectric power. The dams produce clean energy, provide waterway for barges, prevent flooding, allow for recreation, and can back up water at night when demand for electricity is low. As the salmon fisherman will tell you, the salmon have adapted to the fish ladders and are spawning in the Columbia’s tributaries. Yet there are still political forces that want to breach these dams. Nothing is ideal, but hydroelectric energy is about as close as you can get to ideal in the Pacific Northwest.