Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/860140
6 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com Some of the country's most populous states (e.g., New York, California and Florida) recorded well above the national average of 10.28 cents per kilowatt-hour. e two main regions that register on the lower end of retail electricity rates are the Pacific Northwest and parts of the South and Southwest. is situation makes perfect sense when you consider the energy sources available in those regions. For example, New York's two main sources of electricity generation are natural gas and nuclear energy, 3 whereas states such as Idaho rely heavily on hydroelectric power—a much cheaper means of electricity generation. 4 is distribution isn't necessar- ily the fault of the individual states. Each state offers its own renewable- energy opportunities that depend on its geography and climate. ere may not be a viable opportunity for hydroelectric power or other types of renewable energy sources in each state; nevertheless, there are critical financial implications depending on the type of energy that will power your data center. Naturally, the next questions you must answer revolve around the en- ergy sources themselves. What types of energy resources are available in your desired state? Are there multiple renewable energy options? Which is the best for your data center? e U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) offers a direc- tory of energy profiles per state, an invaluable resource in determining the types power generation available across the U.S. not All renewABle energy sources Are creAted equAl e idea of renewable energy, no matter the form, is certainly noble, but some options are better than others. I've listed DataSite's preference of renew- able energy sources in descending order below, starting with the most beneficial. hydroelectric: is is a highly reli- able form of energy, as it will generate power as long as water is feeding into the dam's hydroelectric turbines. It's also highly energy efficient. No fuel is burned at any point in the creation of hydroelectric power, so there are no emissions and minimal pollution, going a long way toward reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. e main gripes with hydropower are that it's unavailable in some areas of the coun- try, and the dams needed to supply it are disruptive to the environment as well as costly to build. Solar: e sun is the most abundant available energy source. If a region goes long periods without sunshine, energy output suffers—meaning supplemental energy sources may be necessary in sunlight-starved areas. Solar systems generally have a lifetime of between 15 and 30 years, but they require lots of space and comprise polysilicon and other scarce resources. 2016 u.S. average electricity retail prices (cents per kilowatt hour) Source: u.S. Chamber of Commerce global energy institute