From the Editor: EPA Gets High Rating on Power Issues - Systems Management News On The Web

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From the Editor: EPA Gets High Rating on Power Issues
By Systems Management News Team

July 1, 2008 — Companies can talk about the need to make data centers green until they’re blue in the face, but the fact that a government agency such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is stepping in can say a whole lot more.

To some, the EPA has a bit of a creaky reputation, but it is showing no signs of dilly-dallying with data center improvements. The EPA got in gear in August 2007 with a report to the U.S. Congress outlining recommendations on how to improve data center energy efficiency. Some of the recommendations were to implement a standardized data center performance rating system and have electric utilities offer financial incentives for data center efficiency improvements. The EPA also proposed a shift to multicore microprocessors and development of dynamic frequency and voltage scaling capabilities, which it said would thereby reduce energy use.

If there were any doubt that the EPA means business on improving data center energy use, then assurance can be found in ratings. The EPA is prepping an ENERGY STAR system for data centers, and it is doing more than merely applying the guidelines it uses to ensure that refrigerators are running smoothly. The agency has been summoning data center companies of all sizes to provide input to help define the ENERGY STAR rating. Data center operators have been asked to measure and submit energy usage data from their facilities and encourage customers to do so as well. This will provide balanced information from a range of companies, large and small.

As of early June, the EPA received expressions of interest for ENERGY STAR from “100 organizations for 198 data centers representing over 15 million square feet of space,” according to Mike Zatz, chief of ENERGY STAR’s market sectors group.

Additionally, if the EPA is at a loss at any point in trying to improve data center efficiency, perhaps the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide a jolt. The departments are combining elements from programs like the DOE’s Save Energy Now and the DOE Federal Energy Management Program.

And that could result in a lot of green for everyone.

Related Search Term(s): Data centers, green computing, power

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