Hewlett Packard Considering to Use Manure to Power Data Centers

A recent article by the New York Times state that cow manure may power large data centers in the future. Since data centers have a huge need for cheap land and electricity, more and more centers are moving to rural locations. Dairy farmers also need an environmentally safe method to treat waste. Using biogas digesters to capture methane and turn it into energy is an innovative idea, and companies in China and India may consider this idea to power their data systems. According to HP’s calculations, 10,000 cows could power a 1 MW data center, which is comparable to a computing system used by a bank. The main challenge to turning this idea into reality is the high cost of purchasing and maintaining a biogas system. The equipment for a biogas system would cost $5 million and $30,000 to run it each year. However, an advocate in India seems keen on pushing forth to build large biogas digesters to power India’s massive IT industry.