Hey Anonymous: If it doesn’t matter where companies like Intel purchase their power, then why do they try so hard to convince us how green they are?

But don't worry, like all corporations who have recently converted to the new religion of ‘Green’, once the press has moved on too a new topic of the month, Intel will quietly stop purchasing Green Energy.

Corporate Green has a two year shelf life. 


They just happen to be in the energy consumption business, which makes them vulnerable to price volatility.

Honestly, the criticism against Intel is not that they are willing to stump for green power. The legitimate criticism is that their buying of green energy credits has all the markings of a PR move. It's all style, no substance.

Also, CPU's use silicon. Solar cells use silicon. Could there be a synergy here? Nah, Intel would never admit it. Anyway, the problem is that even with all this hoopla over "green power" Intel could still get stuck with massive energy bills, which will show up in the cost of their processors, and will affect Intel's long-term viability as a company.

If Google is serious about investment in green power, then I can see a day when Intel buys its power from Google. Also, considering Intel's market power and resource base, it makes sense for them to go vertically integrated, like GE.

No one knows what GE's core business is. They are a huge conglomerate. They show up everywhere. If Intel wants to play with the big boys, it has to think big.

Buying energy from someone else is for chumps, and peons like me.

They just happen to be in the energy consumption business, which makes them vulnerable to price volatility.

Honestly, the criticism against Intel is not that they are willing to stump for green power. The legitimate criticism is that their buying of green energy credits has all the markings of a PR move. It's all style, no substance.

Also, CPU's use silicon. Solar cells use silicon. Could there be a synergy here? Nah, Intel would never admit it. Anyway, the problem is that even with all this hoopla over "green power" Intel could still get stuck with massive energy bills, which will show up in the cost of their processors, and will affect Intel's long-term viability as a company.

If Google is serious about investment in green power, then I can see a day when Intel buys its power from Google. Also, considering Intel's market power and resource base, it makes sense for them to go vertically integrated, like GE.

No one knows what GE's core business is. They are a huge conglomerate. They show up everywhere. If Intel wants to play with the big boys, it has to think big.

Buying energy from someone else is for chumps, and peons like me.

"it wasn’t direct investment that moves the technology forward like Google chose"

The Googleplex solar power project is indeed a wonderful thing ... but it also looks like a PR move when you examine the fine details in the same way that you have dug into the Intel move. Total generation from their solar panels is expected to cover just 30% of their peak office usage (see their website here: http://www.google.com/corporate/solarpanels/home). It does nothing to address the largest part of their energy consumption: their data centers.

Hats off to both Google and Intel for making a first step.

What exactly is theinquirer.net doing to reduce its carbon emissions? [Panels installed at INQ HQ, Ed.]

Agree with the previous commenter. Intel makes semiconductors and buys energy elsewhere.

Intel isn't qualified to tell energy producers how best to develop sustainable energy. To argue otherwise would be comical.

Electrons are electrons. Ultimately it doesn't make a whit of difference if Intel is subsidizing "green" energy but using "coal" electrons. The fact is that there are more "green" electrons on the grid because of Intel's subsidy. Any other interpretation is simply uninformed.

Just FYI, intel uses allot of energy, because all the fabs, and all the Assembly Fabs run 24x7, that means non-stop power. 

Intel is not in the Energy generation business, so they have no reason to make "Direct Investment". By the way, Intel is also not doing direct investment in the Auto Industry, despite the fact that their employees drive cars, they're not making a direct investment in the Food Industry, just because their employees eat, and they're not making a direct investment in the business furntiture industry either, despite the fact that their employees sit at desks.

Jeez, I can't believe it. Intel takes a step in the right direction, and yet, the Inq still finds a way to bitch about them.

I'm not surprised.