[LINK] Google debunks search energy usage claims

[Tom Worthington]

At 09:08 AM 13/01/2009, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
>Google debunks search energy usage claims By Ian Williams 13 January 
>2009 06:44AM
>iTnews 
>http://www.itnews.com.au/News/92657,google-debunks-search-energy-usage-claims.aspx 
>...

Google's estimate of 0.2 grams of CO2 emitted per web search looks 
more plausible than the 7 grams attributed in the media to Dr. 
Wissner-Gross. However, neither estimate is backed up by a detailed 
analysis, making it hard to check.

Also some of the media reports referred to 
<http://www.co2stats.com/>www.CO2stats.com, a web site is selling a 
service to certify carbon emissions from web sites. This made me 
wonder if the whole thing was a hoax, or a scam.

ps: It should be possible to compare Google's figure of 0.3 Wh per 
web search against a web benchmark, such as SPECweb2005: 
<http://www.spec.org/web2005/results/>. I might get my Green ICT 
students to do this. They start next week 
<http://www.acs.org.au/index.cfm?action=event&area=9012&temID=eventdetails&eveID=10123320489859>.



Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                      http://www.tomw.net.au/
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University