The World Might Not Be as Electrified as You Think …
Believe it or not, more than 1.2 billion people worldwide still live without access to electricity. That’s roughly equivalent to the population of India, and about 17% of the world’s population. The United Nations has set a goal of bringing “clean and modern electricity to all people” by 2030, but progress has been slower than anticipated.
Google has an Insatiable Thirst for (Electrical) Power
According to The New York Times, Google accounts for approximately 0.013% of the entire world’s energy use. That’s enough to continuously power 200,000 homes. Data centers, spread throughout the globe, are drawing about 260 million watts at any given moment.
Iceland: Undisputed Champion of Renewable Power
Iceland is the first and only country that relies solely on renewable sources for electricity. It generates 100% of its electricity from hydroelectric and geothermal sources. Norway isn’t far behind. As of 2013, it got 97% of its electricity from renewable sources. The United States? Only 13%.
Better Keep Your Distance …
Undoubtedly you’ve heard of the electric eel. What you may not know is just how much of a shock it’s capable of delivering. It’s been reported these “eels” (which are actually members of the catfish family) can generate a voltage up to 600V and discharge about 1A of current. They’re also capable of shocking you from up to 6 feet away. So that dip you were thinking of taking in the Amazon? You might want to rethink that.
Game Consoles are Energy Hogs
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently completed a study on the power usage of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One game consoles. Both use at least twice as much energy as their predecessors. Given the popularity of the PS4 and Xbox One, the NRDC estimates that video game consoles will use more electricity this year than all of the households in Houston. And, believe it or not, most of that electricity will be used while the consoles are on standby.
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