Implementation of energy efficiency guidance and best practices information will be presented at five upcoming workshops from ASHRAE held throughout New York State. This information could result in a savings of at least $25 million for New York datacenters over the next five years. Specifically, a 75 percent reduction in datacenter energy use could be experienced for some datacenters.
"Estimates show that the total energy usage by datacenters approaches 2 percent of the United States electricity usage, which is equivalent to about eight 1000 MW power plants, said Roger Schmidt, chair of ASHRAE's technical committee on mission critical facilities, technology spaces and electronic equipment. "The significant energy usage by datacom equipment has governmental agencies and utility companies very interested in how energy efficiency opportunities can be implemented.
ASHRAE received an $180,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to host five workshops in New York focused on datacenter energy efficiency and best practices. Registration is free to attend the workshops.
The first workshop takes place March 25 in Albany at the Nanotechnology Center, University of Albany, State University of New York. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/datacenter. Additional workshops are planned for May 28, Baruch College, New York City; July 29, Syracuse University; Sept. 9, New York Power Authority, Buffalo; and Nov. 6 at Baruch College, New York City.
The workshops will focus on how datacenter operators, users, chief information officers, and datacenter designers and consultants can use energy efficiency opportunities and best practices. They are centered on three ASHRAE publications, Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments, Improving Datacom Facility Energy Efficiency and High Density Datacenters - Case Studies and Best Practices.
These three publications are free to workshop attendees. Following the workshops, attendees will perform a survey of current practices and energy usage with their datacenters. "These ASHRAE workshops will demonstrate that significant energy improvements can be made in datacenters, and that employing current technologies and ASHRAE guidance can show up to a 75 percent reduction in energy usage, Schmidt said.