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Policy

Rising to governments’ data centre energy challenge

By Robin Hicks | 2 March 2009

Green energy projects have come under mounting pressure as the global economic situation worsens, but governments should be thinking about energy conservation now more than ever, insists a consultant at APC, the Schneider-owned cooling services giant.

If the global economic picture darkens further, less technologically advanced countries are more likely to put green initiatives on the backburner, according to Bhagwati Prasad, APC’s Principal Consultant, Asia Pacific & Japan, critical power and cooling services.

However, now is the right time for emerging economies such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam to “leapfrog” old technologies and adopt newer, more efficient ones, he said.

“Governments should take a proactive approach to energy-saving technology,” he said. “The benefits will be two-pronged. Not only will they save energy themselves, they will set a good example for other energy users outside of the public sector.”

Data centres present government with the fastest-growing energy consumption challenge, according to APC data. While they account for less than two per cent of energy use now (compared to 31 per cent from industry and 21 per cent from residential buildings), data centre energy consumption is growing at 12 per cent every year and is set to double within six years.

The typical 1MW data centre wastes about 400kW – equivalent to 2000 tonnes of coal – because of poor design, claims APC.

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