The impact of renewables and energy rates on data center growth

The latest data from the US Energy Information Administration reveals data centers power usage dramatically increased from 2017 to 2018. This growth is expected to continue year on year through to 2050.

This usage gives to rise to innovation in energy strategy. The energy landscape paradigm has shifted, with coal consumption declining and the pioneering world of renewable energy purchases driving a reduction in overall energy rates. 

Chaired by DCD Smart Energy Advisor, Susanna Kass, our expert panel of energy executives share key data center energy trends that will impact the design of build of next-generation data centers. 

The webinar explores: 

  • The role of smart energy; the impact to the energy market and rates
  • Driving new methods and technologies to integrate distributed energy into the electric grid
  • The emergence of next generation global data centers powered by renewables (without PPA)
  • The march of states by states, regions by regions of clean energy regulation 






Speaker Panel

DCD>Debates brings together a panel of 4 high level of expert speakers

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Jim Collins

Director of Energy Markets, Americas

Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure & Operations (MCIO), Microsoft

Jim is responsible for the development and execution of Microsoft’s data center energy strategy and sourcing activities for its North and South America sites. These data centers provide the foundational cloud infrastructure for over 200 Microsoft online and cloud services for consumers and businesses worldwide. As part of the Energy Team at Microsoft, his responsibilities include oversight of energy supply agreements, regulatory strategy development and establishment of strategic partnerships to ensure reliable power supply. Jim joined Microsoft in 2012 after 12 years in the energy industry where he worked as a Principal Consultant at Brubaker & Associates, assisting Fortune 500 companies and government entities with energy procurement, regulatory policy and sustainability matters. Jim holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Missouri.


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Peder Nærbø

Chairman and founder

Bulk Infrastructure AS

 

Mr Nærbø is the founder of Bulk Infrastructure, a leading provider of sustainable digital infrastructure in the Nordics. His company is an industrial investor, developer and operator of industrial real estate, data centers and dark fiber networks. Bulk has built several data centers, the hyperscale data park, N01 Campus, which is the world’s largest data center campus fueled with renewable energy (hydroelectricity), Oslo Internet exchange and are currently building a new datacenter in Esbjerg, Denmark. 

Mr Nærbø started his career in shipping working as a shipbroker and charterer in the period 1991-1998. He later worked from 1998-2005 as an investment portfolio adviser with focus on real estate, hedge funds and fixed income investments. By starting Bulk Infrastructure in 2006 he quickly became one of the major real estate developers in Norway and now holds the leading role in the logistic and industrial sector. He later identified the close relationship between logistics and data center infrastructure, which lead to the initiative of establishing data centers and the expansion of the Nordics dark fiber networks. Through this initiative, Bulk is already playing a major role in developing a Nordic data center industry.

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Jim Richardson

President and Chairman

NAEMA

Jim Richardson is the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North American Energy Markets Association (NAEMA) and is the Director of Energy Marketing at Avant Energy responsible for creating long-term value from the energy markets for both Avant Energy and the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA).

With over 30 years’ experience in the wholesale energy markets, Jim brings a deep understanding of a broad range of energy industry issues impacting public power utilities including portfolio risk management, power plant operations, trading-floor management, and energy marketing. Jim holds an B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina.
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Susanna Kass

Smart Energy Advisor

DataCenter Dynamics


Susanna Kass held senior IT data center global operation and business development roles of over 30 years. Susanna has a proven track record to build operation teams in the data center industry, she works in close collaboration with C-level data center executives to design, build and operate “next wave technology AI enabled data center systems”. Her industry network includes DCD leadership team and the community of global data center participants, global thought leaders in Energy, Ecommerce, Media and Entertainment, Hyperscale Cloud Computing, Telecommunications, E-Retailers, Transportation, Life Science-Bio Medical, Manufacturing, Government and Financial Services.
As the EVP, Head of Innovation, IT Operation and Sustainability Strategy at BASELAYER Inc. She has deployed Megawatts of modular data center technologies from dirt to production in less than 90 days with 999.98 uptime and less than $3.5M per 1MW installed. She has deployed Edge modules in sports arena, integrate Lithium Ion Energy Storage systems with Renewable Energy. Susanna originated over 2Gigawatts of Renewable PPAs. She has held roles as Head of Innovation at NextEra Energy Resources, she was the COO, International Operations at eBay Inc. and Trilliant Network, and General Manager at Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems. Susanna is a lecture speaker at Stanford GSB and School of Engineering in Sustainable Urban Systems and MBA IT Curriculum at SDSU. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including Distinguished GSB Alumna Award in Energy from Stanford University, Distinguished MBA Alumna from Pepperdine University, Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from NMSU, and Presidential Entrepreneur Award