News bites: Google's power thirst, Perry faces heat for ‘Galileo’ claim, and more

The New York Times reports on tech giant Google’s disclosures about its energy consumption — and defense of its power-hungry data centers.

“Google disclosed Thursday that it continuously uses enough electricity to power 200,000 homes, but it says that in doing so, it also makes the planet greener,” the paper reports.

The piece later adds:

While the electricity figures may seem large, the company asserts that the world is a greener place because people use less energy as a result of the billions of operations carried out in Google data centers. Google says people should consider things like the amount of gasoline saved when someone conducts a Google search rather than, say, drives to the library.

The Guardian also looks at Google’s info, noting the company’s claims that its data centers use far less energy than the industry average.

The Los Angeles Times editorial board slams Rick Perry over his claims about climate science at Wednesday’s debate, including his reference to Galileo, calling Perry’s remarks “the intellectual nadir of the debate.”

The New York Times reports from Havana that the co-chairman of the President Obama’s oil spill commission (which has disbanded) wants the U.S. to be ready to help Cuba in the event of a spill.

The piece notes that Cuba is preparing for offshore exploration.

From Cuba to Libya ...

Bloomberg reports:

“Libya may export this month its first crude cargo since March from the country’s west as the holder of Africa’s biggest oil reserves rebuilds production after deposing former ruler Muammar Qaddafi.”