Enabling data centers to increase computing capacity while decreasing energy costs

Increasing computing capacity demand is a global phenomenon impacting governments, educational institutions, large and medium enterprises, research bodies, and many other markets. These entities may support their own computing infrastructure, or outsource it to colocation data center service providers, or both. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects that servers and supporting infrastructure in data centers and computer rooms will consume more than 100 billion kWh in 2011, representing a $7.4 billion annual expense and nearly two-percent of U.S. electricity consumption. These current energy levels also result in the release of more than 70 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year.

Gartner Research observes that the number of large capital budgets allocated to building new data centers has shrunk, and that companies and institutions will instead scale their existing data centers through greater density of servers and racks. Given the EPA’s projection that data center energy demand will increase by about 12-percent per year, the emphasis on getting more out of servers will severely tax the power and cooling infrastructures of existing sites.

OpTerra’s approach to addressing and reducing the escalating energy consumption in data centers and computer rooms leverages the comprehensive process that we apply for any energy-intensive building. Our engineers systematically analyze the existing efficiency and operation of the data center at the component and support system levels. We then address existing air conditioning systems, as well as control and monitoring systems, to cost-effectively reduce system energy use and provide more reliable cooling. Additionally, we deploy efficient lighting systems and lighting control retrofits that will provide the optimum amount of light during occupied hours.

We identify project financing and investment incentive opportunities to help data center operators achieve the best possible economic return – while minimizing upfront capital. Examples of funding options may include:

• Utility incentives and on-bill loans
• Federal, state, and local investment incentives and grants
• Power purchase agreements