Data centers across the world use about 30 billion watts of electricity, about the same as the output of 30 nuclear power plants, with digital warehouses in the U.S. accounting for one-quarter to one-third of that load, The New York Times reports. Those are huge numbers for an industry that often puts forth an image of environmental friendliness. Consider Apple’s soon-to-be-built research and development complex near its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The building, which will look something like a spaceship, will be entirely surrounded by a thick layer of trees and will be powered with its own energy center that will run mostly off the grid. Read the full story at PC World.