Facebook said yesterday that its data center site location policy "now states a preference for access to clean and renewable energy." The announcement ended a long-running feud between the social network and the environmental group Greenpeace, which had targeted Facebook in a social media and PR campaign because the company's two data centers in Oregon and North Carolina each relied upon utility power that originated primarily from coal.
Is Facebook's announcement an isolated incident in which a company alters its policies in response to outside pressure? Or is it a sign that renewable energy will become a larger factor on site location decisions, boosting regions with "green" power in their utility mix?
We put the question to our readers: Is the availability of renewable energy a major factor in your site location decision? Take our poll:
