A new not-for-profit consortium of IT vendors known as The Green Grid contends energy efficiency in the data center is the most significant issue facing technology and their customers today. Customer demand for concentrated computing outpaces the availability of clean, reliable power, The Green Grid said Monday, in announcing completion of its formation.
In white papers available at TheGreenGrid.Org, the consortium cites research showing that half of the world’s data centers will run short of power by the end of next year. The group intends to help companies adopt practices that more efficiently use electricity to power IT and related equipment.
It’s a burgeoning problem. Global electricity consumption by servers and ancillary equipment doubled between 2000 and 2005, estimated Jonathan Koomey, a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and consulting professor at Stanford University, in an AMD-funded study released this month, according to The Wall Street Journal. Koomey adding that the total annual electricity bill rose to $7.3 billion during that period.
Here are 10 steps to take to create a green data center.
Other ideas to consider: