Microsoft looking to cut data center power bills
QUINCY, WASHINGTON STATE - Microsoft had a $3.4 million electrical bill last year to operate it's data center in Quincy, and they are looking for ways to reduce it.
The Seattle Times reports it used enough electricity to power 24,000 homes.
The software company is looking to reduce its power bill by finding other ways to cool the acres of computer servers that handle e-mail and digital transactions over the Internet.
The data center was the third-largest customer last year of the Grant County PUD. Microsoft and other tech companies have located in Grant County to take advantage of the utility's relatively low rates for electricity from two Columbia River dams.
With data centers all over the world, Microsoft has been experimenting with cooling methods to reduce power demand.
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Class-action lawsuit: Hydro-Québec overcharged customers up to $1.2B
MONTREAL - A group representing Hydro-Québec customers has filed a motion for a class-action lawsuit against the public utility, alleging it overcharged customers over a five-year period.
Freddy Molima, one of the representatives of the Coalition Peuple allumé, accuses Hydro-Québec of "abusing its monopoly."
The motion, which was filed in Quebec Superior Court, claims Hydro-Québec customers paid more than they should have for electricity between 2008 and 2013, to the tune of nearly $1.2 billion.
The coalition has so far recruited nearly 40,000 participants online as part of its plan to sue the public utility.
A lawyer representing the group said Quebec's energy board, the Régie de l'énergie, also recently approved Hydro-Québec…
