'Mystery building' at Apple's Maiden, NC data center may house biogas converters
A new structure being built at Apple's Maiden, N.C. data center is thought to be the future home of a Bloom biogas electricity generator array that will help power the company's 500,000 square-foot facility.
New pictures from Wired show the new development is being constructed next to the compound's sub-station and will most likely be where the company's planned Bloom Energy Server farm is located.
First reported in April, Apple will be using 24 Bloom biogas converters to extract hydrogen from natural gas provided by Piedmont Natural Gas to generate electricity for its massive iCloud-housing data center. The fuel cell farm will reportedly pump out 4.8-megawatts of power and add to the 20-megawatt solar farm being built across the street.
Supposed site of Bloom Energy Server farm. | Source: Wired
Apple was originially thought to be housing the Bloom units in a different building, but that structure turned out to be a "tactical data center," the purpose of which has yet to be fully explained. While not much is known about the small 11-room building, county permits reveal the small data center is tightly-secured with 8-foot high fencing and "man trap" security doors which require people to go through two doors to gain access.
Over view of Apple's Maiden, N.C. data center. | Source: Wired
The $1 billion Maiden data center went online in 2011 and is expected to completely rely on renewable energy sources by the end of the year.
New pictures from Wired show the new development is being constructed next to the compound's sub-station and will most likely be where the company's planned Bloom Energy Server farm is located.
First reported in April, Apple will be using 24 Bloom biogas converters to extract hydrogen from natural gas provided by Piedmont Natural Gas to generate electricity for its massive iCloud-housing data center. The fuel cell farm will reportedly pump out 4.8-megawatts of power and add to the 20-megawatt solar farm being built across the street.
Supposed site of Bloom Energy Server farm. | Source: Wired
Apple was originially thought to be housing the Bloom units in a different building, but that structure turned out to be a "tactical data center," the purpose of which has yet to be fully explained. While not much is known about the small 11-room building, county permits reveal the small data center is tightly-secured with 8-foot high fencing and "man trap" security doors which require people to go through two doors to gain access.
Over view of Apple's Maiden, N.C. data center. | Source: Wired
The $1 billion Maiden data center went online in 2011 and is expected to completely rely on renewable energy sources by the end of the year.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
A new structure being built at Apple's Maiden, N.C. data center is thought to be the future home of a Bloom biogas electricity generator array that will help power the company's 500,000 square-foot facility.
That's not a 'Bloom Energy Farm'; that's going to be the future home of Foxconn's American plant whereby a group of 6,000 Asians are smuggled into the states in iPad shipment cases (4 at a time, to conserve costs of course) and will be tasked with adapting to American lifestyle while at the same time building iPads. Luckily these 14 year olds don't need to be bothered with America's whole monetary system; it's too confusing. In fact, to make things simpler, Foxconn will pay them the same salary that they're paying their grandparents back in Asia ($12 a month) in their good old familiar currency. Foxconn will even offer them American dollars if they choose, which would come out to a whopping $8.59 every 4 weeks.
Employees will be allowed to use restrooms on campus as well; that's what all those trees are doing there.
This is all being done as part of an initiative by Apple to show how they're supporting the American economy by building iPads at home where they belong, using illegal aliens making enough Yen to buy a single torx screw from one of the iPads they made earlier that week.
Turn that frown upside down;
you're living in the land of opportunity now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I've worked in data centers for a good part of my career and only recently with Apple have I heard the term tactical data center used. Is this for sending out DoS attacks and whatnot against other data centers?¡
DoS is really a shortened version of DDoS where the first D stands for distributed. If they sent a request flood from a single class A, B or C you could just block the routing table and it would have no effect. Simple to block. The 'Distributed' part is what make DoS so troublesome. I know you were just kidding but nevertheless... I think tactical, and I have never heard the term used in describing a datacenter either, could mean the opposite of what you suggested in that it might be a defensive fortification that deals with incoming DDoS attacks.
Clearly my attempt at humour has failed miserably. I guess that one won't be making it to the AI open mic night.
And I do think it's the exact opposite of what I said. I don't see how it could be anything but that.
This just in, GreenPeace says "While we applaud Apple leading the way with both solar and bio gas to create the most carbon friendly server farm in the world, we are distress by the lack of ponies."
The NSA is everywhere.
weaponized anthrax
tinfoil hats for everyone
Those images feel like Cuban Missile Crisis shots…
This article confuses me:
"Apple will be using 24 Bloom biogas converters to extract hydrogen from natural gas provided by Piedmont Natural Gas to generate electricity for its massive iCloud-housing data center"
Natural gas is not biogas which comes from the decomposition of organic matter such as food waste, or rotting organic material. Natural gas is coming from under the ground and contains plenty of brand-new-to-our-atmosphere CO2. How do you extract the hydrogen from natural gas? You use electricity, usually. Where does that come from? The grid ... so more CO2. If the electricity comes from Apple's solar panels then as you've already got their electricity so using it to strip hydrogen from natural gas is just introducing wasteful inefficiencies and simply generating electricity which you had in the first place.
It really seems nonsensical so I assume that either something is missing, totally wrong or misreported. Ah well.
According to the bloomenergy.com website, the 'Bloom Boxes' are placed outside, not in a building.
Look at all the trees being cleared for this major footprint campus in a rural area. It isn't even near any major ports so there is going to be a lot of trucking of materials to the site.
If they really want to go green they should be building vertically in an urban area.
Originally Posted by ngmapple
Look at all the trees being cleared for this major footprint campus in a rural area. It isn't even near any major ports so there is going to be a lot of trucking of materials to the site.
If they really want to go green they should be building vertically in an urban area.
Sounds more like you don't know what "green" means at all.
That is good to know, Apple really care for the nature, through this process, they can be able to withstand their company green campaign. The use of biogas is every important aspect to a clean and green living.