Iceland serves up ice

Carbon emissions come from all types of different sources, some are traditional and some we know very little about. Automobiles, running on brown energy release CO2 into the air, as to home appliances, boats and other products that require electricity. In a changing world, there are always going to be new, and potentially more environmentally devastating products that release CO2 into the atmosphere. Would you believe that computer servers are one of them?

It is true, and the energy needed to power these servers in enormous. However, it comes down to more than just keeping them running, keeping them cool also draws an enormous amount of electricity. Enter Iceland, a country that has been wracked by economic trouble after the failure of it’s banks. Due to its location in one of the coldest environments in the world, and the abundance of energy resources within the country, the leaders of Iceland are letting it be known that they want to be host to the serves of the world.

What Iceland offers is an excess of electricity, and all of their electric sources are renewable and carbon free. The source: geothermal energy power. Due to the volcanic activity in Iceland, the country has been able to produce far more electricity than the population needs. Pair that with the new fiber optic cables being laid to connect Iceland to the North American continent, as well as Europe and you have a desirable location for massive data storage. The companies who take advantage of this opportunity will spend less money on their servers, as well as make an environmentally healthy impact due to the renewable energy sources of Iceland. Though the CO2 impact of the servers will still prove to be a growing issue in a world trying to clean up its act, the government of Iceland believes that hosting servers in their country is a step in the right direction.