Reporter uses Facebook's Rooftop to check out Apple's data center in Prineville

Facebook has been getting some news with the opening of its cold storage facility.

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2013/10/exclusive-a-look-at-facebooks.html?s=image_gallery

http://www.bendbulletin.com/article/20131016/news0107/310160339/

http://readwrite.com/2013/10/16/facebook-prineville-cold-storage-photos#awesm=~oluaddHy6afA5O

What is funny is one reporter used the Facebook rooftop to check out Apple’s data center.

As it turns out, Apple's complex, code-named "Pillar"—and completely devoid of any markings identifying it as an outpost of the Cupertino company—is a literal stone's throw from Facebook's Prineville, Ore. hub. Tracking down the location of Apple's stealth site was just as easy as peering southeast from Facebook's roof, which ironically offered what was probably the best view in town. The Facebook employees pointed it out to me while cracking jokes about its apparently not-so-secret alias.

Construction began on the Apple data center last October, and now the first phase's main building (the large black one) appears to be complete, to the untrained, telephoto-lens equipped eye, anyway. Eventually the project will encompass two full 338,000-square foot data centers sprawling across Apple's 160-acre Prineville plot. And because everything is spookier and more fascinating when it's built out in the desert, we bring you the photographic fruits of our Veronica Mars-style investigation of Apple's Area 51.

A smile from Heaven, Olivier Sanche's environmental efforts paying off

Apple's Lisa Jackson at the Sustainability Conference Verge, and GigaOm sent a reporter to core the presentation.

Apple’s high profile new environmental chief — the former head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency — Lisa Jackson spoke publicly for one of the first times on Wednesday after taking the role at Apple four months earlier. At thesustainability conference VERGE, Jackson said she plans to pump up Apple’s efforts in using energy more efficiently and bringing more clean power to Apple’s data centers and office buildings.

“Tim Cook didn’t hire Lisa Jackson to be quiet and keep the status quo. We understand our responsibility and we do care,” said Jackson.

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The article continues with the efforts Apple has been making in the past.

Jackson came to Apple when the company already had begun to devote more money and time on increasing its use of renewable electricity at its data centers and taking other actions to lower its carbon footprint.

When I read this, I immediately think of Olivier Sanche who had the passion to green Apple's data centers.

It is sad to think it has been 3 years since Olivier left us.  This time of year is when I remember Olivier the most.  His birthday was Oct 4, and he left us in Nov at Thanksgiving 2010.  A bunch of us are getting together at 7x24 Exchange in San Antonio in Nov 17-20, and I am sure we'll chat about Olivier's impact on us.

iOS7 creates an iMessage bug, poor users have no idea

I have an iPhone 5 and am surrounded by iPhone users.  With iOS7 there is an iMessage bug that prevents messages from being sent.

Last night I tried this work around and it worked.  The only hassle is I needed to re-enter my wifi access passwords.

How to fix iMessage not working in iOS 7 - three simple steps

iMessage texts not sending? Apple promsies fix but here's a simple fix.

By Simon Jary | PC Advisor | 05 October 13

Apple has now admitted that there's a bug in its new iOS 7 operating system for iPhone and iPad that stops iMessage sending text messages. Here's a simple three-step fix that seems to be working for many of those affected.

Unfortunately, I need to apologize to a few people for my texts not getting through.

After the above work around I could see what text messages were not sent.

Sure there will be a bug fix for this soon, but until then the work around worked for me.

Google missed in EPA Green Power Leadership Awards - Apple, Cisco, Dell, Intel, Microsoft

The EPA released the Green Power Leadership Awards.

This was a good chance for the technology vendors who go Green to highlight their achievements.  Apple, Cisco, Dell, Intel and Microsoft are on the list.  What happened to Google?  They are not on the list.

Apple Inc.
Apple Inc., one of the largest information technology companies in the world, became an organization-wide Green Power Partner in 2013, increasing its green power use from 2012 by more than 285 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) to an annual total of more than 537 million kWh. Apple is pursuing a net zero energy strategy for its data centers, corporate facilities, and retail stores worldwide, and currently has achieved 85 percent green power for all its U.S. consumption. An important component of the strategy is creating new, Apple-owned renewable energy projects – utility-scale if necessary – located near the company's centers of energy demand.

Apple supplies all of its data centers with 100 percent renewable energy though its own projects or through grid-purchased renewable energy. For its largest data center, in Maiden, North Carolina, it has committed to more than 60 percent Apple-owned generation and achieves this by having constructed the nation’s largest end user-owned, solar photovoltaic array — a 20-megawatt (MW) facility on 100 acres of land — and a 10-MW fuel cell installation supplied by directed biogas, the largest non-utility fuel cell installation operating anywhere in the country. These projects produce 125 million kWh of green power a year. A second 20-MW solar photovoltaic array is installed and will be operational in October, increasing total green power generation at the data center to 167 million kWh a year, which is substantially beyond their 60 percent goal.

Many of Apple's other facilities also operate on 100 percent renewable energy from a combination of green power purchases and Apple-owned renewable projects, including its data center in Newark, California; its two newest data centers in Reno, Nevada and Prineville, Oregon; and corporate facilities in Cupertino, California; Elk Grove, California; Austin, Texas; and several overseas facilities.

By developing its own on-site projects, Apple ensures that it provides renewable energy that supports the company’s load and provides power to the local grid, and that this energy comes from new projects that would not have been built without Apple's involvement.

In the future, as its facilities and data centers grow, Apple plans to increase its green power use to keep pace with growth and pursue its goal of using 100 percent clean, renewable energy.

If you think you should be on this list you can submit here.

Application Process

Awards

• Green Power Leadership Awards
• Application Process
• 2013 Award Winners
• Past Award Winners
• Renewable Energy Markets Conference

EPA’s Green Power Leadership Awards recognize exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners and among green power suppliers. Green Power Partners and green power suppliers may apply for an award, or another party may nominate them. EPA recognizes eligible organizations and suppliers in the award categories listed below:

• Purchaser Awards
• Supplier Awards

Google Green has their content here.

On site power generation changing the Utilities

WSJ reports on companies adding on site power generation is changing the Utilities behaviors.

Companies Unplug From the Electric Grid, Delivering a Jolt to Utilities

Michal Czerwonka for The Wall Street Journal

At Kroger’s food-distribution center in Compton, Calif., a tank system converts organic waste into biogas to produce electricity used by the facility

On a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River, two big wind turbines crank out electricity for Kroger Co.’s KR +2.19% Turkey Hill Dairy in rural Lancaster County, Pa., allowing it to save 25% on its power bill for the past two years.

Google and Apple are mentioned in the article and their servers in data centers.

Almost overnight, that niche market has gone decidedly mainstream. Six years ago,Google Inc. GOOG -0.19% attracted attention by installing big solar arrays atop its Silicon Valley complex in California. Other tech companies followed suit, worried about ensuring power supplies for energy-hungry server farms and achieving sustainability objectives.

Apple Inc. AAPL +1.14% now gets 16% of its electricity from solar panels and fuel cells that run on biogas. Apple’s data center in Maiden, N.C., makes all the power it consumes, a company spokeswoman said.