by jbs102308 e3 — October 27, 2008—The US Department of Energy (DOE) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released a new report that identifies the next steps for public and private collaboration toward advancing toward the goal of improved energy efficiency in data centers. “Energy Efficiency in Data Centers: Recommendations for Government-Industry Coordination” details the discussions and recommendations covered during a national strategy workshop on July 8, 2008, which included representatives from industry, utilities, associations, and NGOs.
The report provides recommendations for key areas of collaboration between government and industry and detailed descriptions of interactive sessions in which workshop participants identified gaps and opportunities related to defining, advancing, and rewarding energy-efficient data centers. In addition, the report includes point papers presented by workshop presenters that highlight current trends in data center energy efficiency.
According to the EPA, US data centers consume a growing portion of the US energy/electricity supply due to growing demand for the services they provide. Data centers used 61 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2006, representing 1.5% of all US electricity consumption–double the amount consumed in 2000. Based on current trends, energy consumed by data centers will continue to grow by 12% per year.
To view the report or to learn more about the joint DOE/EPA national data center energy efficiency information program, visit DOE’s Partnering with Computer Data Centers Web page and EPA’s Enterprise Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency Initiatives Web page.
