Data Center Flotilla
"Green energy" is a hot topic in the energy sector and many companies in that sector are filing patent applications to stake claims to their piece of that green pasture. Google recently received a patent of its own.
U.S. Patent No. 7,525,207 issued on April 28, 2009. It is directed to "[a] system [that] includes a floating platform-mounted computer data center comprising a plurality of computing units, a sea-based electrical generator in electrical connection with the plurality of computing units, and one or more sea-water cooling units for providing cooling to the plurality of computing units," and issued with a couple of quite broad claims:
1. A system, comprising:
- a computer data center proximate to a body of water comprising a plurality of computing units;
- a sea-based electrical generator in electrical connection with the plurality of computing units; and
- one or more sea-water cooling units for providing cooling to the plurality of computing units
16. A method of maintaining a computer data center, comprising:
- generating electrical power using the wave, tidal, or current motion of water adjacent a data center;
- providing the generated electrical power to the data center; and
- circulating the water adjacent the data center through a heat exchanger to produce cooling for the data center equipment.
