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DOE Data Centers

DOE Data Center Update

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DOE Data Center Efficiency Working Group Meeting Minutes:
February 10, 2009 (PDF 44 KB)
January 27, 2009 (PDF 32 KB)

Recent Presentations:
Where We Stand and Future Goals (PDF 178 KB)
October 14, 2008 | DOE Data Center Energy Efficiency Working Group Meeting

According to a report from the EPA (PDF 2.5 MB), U.S. data center energy use doubled from 2000 to 2006 and could double again by 2011. This increased energy use leads not only to higher energy bills, but also increased pollution. One study reports that data centers could surpass the airline industry as the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas. Despite these harmful effects, data centers are vital to every sector of the economy, including the federal government. The Department of Energy uses data centers for everything from storage to scientific computing.

It is estimated that the federal government accounts for ten percent of annual data center and server energy use, which is not surprising since 28 of the largest 100 super computers are housed in U.S. government-owned facilities. This estimate of federal energy use amounts to 6.1 billion kWh, or approximately $450 million.

In a recent survey of 41 DOE data centers, the average data center infrastructure efficiency index (DCIE) was .57, which was consistent with benchmarking studies from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. DCIE is the ratio of IT equipment energy use to total data center energy use – so the higher the better. A DCIE of one would mean that all of the energy in the data center is being used for IT.

Column chart of data center infrastructure efficiency index (DCIE) for 41 DOE data centers. The DCIEs range from 0.13 to 0.78 with an average of 0.57.

Goals

One of the TEAM initiative's eight goals is to increase energy efficiency in data centers by ten percent by 2011, putting DOE on the road to meeting the goals set forth by Executive Order 13423 and EISA 2007. The working group has also set the long term goal of increasing the DCIE of major DOE data centers to 0.75 by 2015.

To achieve these goals the working group and its partners will develop a program to improve data center energy efficiency. Additionally, the working group will offer awareness training about energy efficient practices to data centers.

Data Center Improvement Plan

Image showing data center energy efficiency improvement plan - from identifying sites to financing and implementing conservation projects.

Approach

DOE's Data Center Energy Efficiency Working Group has developed a plan to help increase data center energy efficiency department-wide. The process began with identifying DOE data centers larger than 100 kW. By encouraging these sites to pilot DC Pro Tool, an online benchmarking program, the group gathered detailed information about data centers and received feedback on the tool. After ranking the data centers by savings potential, case studies and site visits will be carried out, and appropriate energy conservation measures will be determined. Finally, the group will develop site and supplier partnerships to finance and carry out the energy savings projects.

When the process is fully developed and proven effective, DOE hopes to share its insight with other federal agencies, helping to spread data center energy efficiency throughout the federal government.

Efforts Underway

An energy efficiency assessment is currently in progress for data centers in DOE Headquarters facilities at Germantown and Forrestal. Both facilities will undergo a full assessment, and the Germantown facility will serve as a proof of concept for data center environmental performance management using wireless sensor technology.

The working group will plans to participate in various workshops and training sessions for 2009, including the Labs21 and GovEnergy conferences.

DOE, in addition to sustaining the DOE Data Center Energy Efficiency Working Group, participates in the Federal Data Center Energy Efficiency Partnership.

Related Links

The following links provide more information on energy-efficient data centers:

Members

The DOE Data Centers Energy Efficiency Working Group includes participants from program offices with the most energy-intensive data centers and the offices primarily responsible for energy efficiency, environmental and information technology policy within DOE.

DOE Data Center Working Group Members include:

  • Office of the Chief Information Officer
  • Office of Environmental Management
  • Office of Health, Safety and Security
  • Federal Energy Management Program
  • National Nuclear Security Administration
  • Office of Science