WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has announced the first group of participants who have completed its Data Center Energy Practitioner (DCEP) training program. The goal of the program is to train professionals - both generalists and HVAC specialists - who will become energy experts with the experience to conduct energy assessments for data centers, a growing and energy-intensive industry. DOE noted that significant knowledge, training, and skills are required to perform accurate energy assessments in data centers, and the DCEP program was designed in close coordination with industry stakeholders to train a core group of professional practitioners to help data centers reduce their energy demands and accelerate energy savings.

The first group of DCEP participants completed their training and passed exams designed to demonstrate proficiency in the use of select ITP energy assessment tools. To date, the DCEP program has 13 Level 1 Practitioners (Generalists) and 18 Level 2 Practitioners (HVAC Specialists). DOE said this select group of individuals from both the public and private sectors were specifically chosen for acceptance into the DCEP program based on their technical abilities and their commitment to bringing a culture of energy efficiency to data centers nationwide.

The Level 1 Practitioners have been trained to understand all data center disciplines, including IT equipment, cooling systems, air management, and electrical systems, and are qualified to provide broad recommendations based on ITP’s high-level DC Pro Profiling Tool. The Level 2 Practitioners also understand the four data center disciplines and are trained to address energy opportunities using several of the in-depth DC Pro System Assessment Tools. In addition, all Level 2 Practitioners passed a specialist exam for cooling and air management (HVAC).

ITP has a goal of training at least 200 practitioners by the end of 2011.

For more information about the DCEP program, visit www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/datacenters/dc_cep.html.

Publication date: 08/23/2010