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.