Google Data Center: How Google Broke Its CRAC Habit (VIDEO)

Google is one of the most complex and intricate pieces of our world wide web today. Not only does it deliver millions of answers to all kinds of "how to" and "versus" questions, it provides real-time ad-distribution and indexes the news for us. Wired reported Stephen Levy recently got an unprecedented sneak look at Google's data center in Lenoir, North Carolina and gave everyone a peek inside.

Despite being one of the most well-kept secrets in the computing world, Google's data center seems to have done something that only incredibly public companies harp about - gone green.

Back at the end of the 1990s, Google asked a certain computer science professor named Urs Hölzle to help take their servers to the next level. At that time, Google was renting out shared space next to Ebay servers and other sites, but it was becoming increasingly clear that Google was ahead of the game and needed its own breathing room.

So Google decided to take matters into their own hands. With the help of Hölzle, Google ended up redesigning its server rooms to be more efficient and comfortable than traditional designs. Google decided that the servers didn't have to be super-cooled, and could sit comfortably at a slightly higher temperature - reducing cooling costs and allowing employees to come in shirts instead of sweaters. They did away with computer room air conditioners (CRACs) - becoming one of the first companies to do away with their CRAC habit.

They also introduced coils filled with water that would absorb heat and then be pumped outside. Instead of using giant electrical supply systems to ensure the servers never went down, Google redesigned the racks of the servers in order to accommodate more batteries - a move that Levy says reduced electricity loss by 15 percent.

Data centers use 1.5 percent of all the electricity in the world, according to Levy. Their efficiency can be measured by their power usage effectiveness, or PUE. A score 2.0, or half the power wasted, is considered a good score. Google was getting a 1.2 - showing that the company who gave us street view, Google+, and the "I'm feeling lucky" button, has always pushed the envelope, even behind the scenes.