Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/860140
4 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com w e live in an age of unprecedented reli- ance on technol- ogy. Each handheld gadget, computer and application we use daily is data dependent, meaning each one is sup- ported by a data center somewhere. At our current rate, we'll soon reach a point where we have an astounding number of devices tapping into the overall data center landscape. It's best for everyone to switch to sustainabil- ity-friendly practices now so that the data center industry can continue to support our societal obsession with technology without destroying the planet. During the first five years of this century, U.S. data center energy con- sumption grew at a rate of 90%, which is unsurprising when you consider that the sophistication of the Internet and the devices that use it were quick- ly developing. Since that time, the U.S. Department of Energy has reported a decline in the increase of data center energy consumption: a 24% increase from 2005 to 2009 followed by a much lower 4% increase from 2010 to 2014. 1 e agency cites greater efficiency as the main reason for the drop in total data center energy consumption. But prognosticators have growing concerns over the industry's ability to maintain these low energy-consump- tion rates as the marketplace gains more and more data-reliant devices. At a recent DatacenterDynam- ics Energy Smart event, Professor Donald Paul of the University of Southern California's Energy Institute shared his concern: "e flattening of demand may be a hiatus. Demand will continue to grow unchecked because data services are effectively free or very cheap, and their energy cost is hidden. Meanwhile, improving energy efficiency becomes harder as data centers approach a PUE of 1.0, and the efficient use of resources can't get higher than 100 percent." 2 e bottom line is that constantly striving to improve efficiency is a ne- cessity to quell a potential resurgence of increased data center energy con- sumption. ere are many ways that data center operators can optimize their efficiencies by embracing renew- able energy sources. Let's take a look at practices that will foster sustainable data centers. site selection Much like in real estate, location matters when it comes to data centers. It's critical to understand the power costs in the region/state/city that you're looking to build or purchase a data center in. Ideally, you want a location that offers both affordable electricity and access to your preferred renew- able energy resource. e map below from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute shows the aver- age retail electricity prices in cents per kilowatt-hour across the country. 2016 u.S. average electricity retail prices (cents per kilowatt hour) Source: u.S. Chamber of Commerce global energy institute