Google Debunks The “Black Google” Meme

Someone at Google must have been sick of seeing all the Diggers posting about “Black Google”, the idea that if Google switched its background color to black, it’d save 1.21 gigawatts of electricity (or something) per year. It’s one of those ideas that, even if correct, just sound silly, and every single bit of science on the topic says the theory is almost 100% incorrect.
Well, Bill Weihl, Google’s “Green Energy Czar”, has finally seen fit to address this on the official Google blog. Bill explains that while the spirit of the idea is in the right place, the facts don’t support it. On flat-panel monitors (like LCD screens), which make up 75% of the market, energy usage actually increases when a black background is used, because dark colors require more energy. They point to a detailed study that supports this.
So, can we stop the “Black Google” […]

Original post by Nathan Weinberg