The Facebook 'Cloud'

When I read about this Facebook Data Center facility near Des Moines, Iowa, 

I just had to see what a 'Cloud' looks like....

And this is what a 'Cloud' looks like....

Just one of two such enormous buildings, and another under construction.

Security wouldn't let me any closer, so the angle doesn't show the size...

Couldn't get a photo from the air cause of very strong wind...

The mind boggles at the enormous number of messages that pass through,

(and stay on file), in here.....

All that electronic equipment generates a lot of heat, 

so massive air conditioning is required,

Most don't realize the enormous amount of power consumed by these centers.

All 'Cloud' data centers use 2% of the total electric power in the world.
If the data centers were a country, it would rank 6th for power use,
after USA, China, Russia, India, and Japan,
and more than all of Germany.....

Part of the power to run this data center comes from two large wind farms,

built especially to power this 'Cloud'.

 I hear that each of those turbines pays the farmer about 4-8 thousand dollars per year.

So a nice bonus on top of the already good crops of corn and soy beans.