Dec. 11, 2014: Data Center Interest in Renewable Energy on the Rise
Survey Says Owners and Operators Feel Need to Consider Renewables to Manage Future Energy Needs
MINNEAPOLIS — Renewable energy is among the top emerging technologies being considered by data center owners to help address power and cooling costs, according to a Mortenson survey of corporate data center executives, data center developers and operators, and information technology providers at the 2014 Data Center World conference. Eighty-four percent of respondents feel there is a need to consider renewable forms of energy, such as wind and solar, to manage future needs, according to the survey.
Energy is by far the biggest cost for data centers, making power and cooling considerations the most important drivers in determining location, design, and construction of facilities. In fact, the top thing data center operators say they would most like to change about their facilities is greater energy efficiency. Nearly half of survey participants also believe a better power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating is achievable through improved technologies.
“Worldwide data usage continues to grow, which requires more infrastructure and power to support it, so it’s vital that we leverage innovation to help balance energy demand and supply,” said Scott Ganske, director of operations for Mortenson’s Mission Critical Group. “There are a number of promising technologies that will drive energy efficiency forward in the next few years, and renewable energy increasingly makes economic as well as environmental sense for the energy supply chain. With costs dropping and operating efficiency rising, we believe renewables are rightly attracting interest from data center operators.”
Costs for producing wind have decreased 58 percent and solar power costs have decreased by 40 percent in the past five years and they continue to fall, making renewables more cost-competitive with traditional fuel sources in many markets, says Mortenson. At the same time, availability is steadily improving. Wind farms, for example, generate power 50 percent of the time now, up from 35 percent in 2007. In fact, several leading technology firms in the U.S. are already investing in power purchase agreements (PPA) with wind energy producers to lock-in energy costs over the long term.
Mortenson is one of the leading data center contractors in the U.S. For more information, visit www.mortenson.com.
Publication date: 12/8/2014
Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!
Looking for quick answers on air conditioning, heating and refrigeration topics? Try Ask ACHR NEWS, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ACHR NEWS
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
