EPA Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency
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Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency Public Law 109-431 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program August 2, 2007 Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4 Background ................................................................................................................................. 4 Energy Use in Data Centers Through 2011 ................................................................................ 7 Incentives and Voluntary Programs to Promote Energy Efficiency ......................................... 11 Recommendations..................................................................................................................... 13 Conclusions............................................................................................................................... 16 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................ 17 1.1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 17 1.2. Data Center Energy Use.................................................................................................. 17 1.3. Data Center Characteristics............................................................................................. 18 1.4. Energy Efficiency ........................................................................................................... 23 1.5. Purpose of this Report..................................................................................................... 23 2. Trends in Growth and Energy Use Associated with Servers and Data Centers in the U.S. .. 25 2.1. Overview of Data Center Growth Trends ....................................................................... 27 2.2. Estimates of U.S. Server and Data Center Energy Use .................................................. 31 2.3. Energy Use Associated with Federal Government Servers and Data Centers................ 39 3. Potential Energy and Cost Savings through Improved Energy Efficiency............................ 41 3.1. Expected Energy Savings from Current Energy Efficiency Trends ............................... 41 3.2. Opportunities for Additional Energy-Efficiency Savings............................................... 50 4. Electric Utility Impacts from Energy Efficiency in Servers and Data Centers ..................... 59 4.1. Methodology ................................................................................................................... 60 4.2. Electricity Generation Impacts ....................................................................................... 62 4.3. Discussion of Transmission and Distribution Impacts ................................................... 63 5. Potential Impacts of Energy Efficiency on Product Performance, Reliability, Features, and Overall cost ................................................................................................................................... 67 5.1. Performance Impacts Resulting from IT Energy Efficiency Improvements .................. 68 5.2. Impact of Facilities Energy Efficiency on IT Equipment Performance ......................... 71 5.3. Summary ......................................................................................................................... 72 6. Distributed Generation and Combined Heat and Power Systems in Data Centers................ 73 6.1. Benefits of Clean DG and CHP for Data Centers........................................................... 73 6.2. DG Applications at Data Centers.................................................................................... 80 6.3. Issues Affecting Implementation of DG in Data Centers ............................................... 82 7. Current Energy Efficiency Programs Applicable to Data Centers ........................................ 84 7.1. Barriers to Energy Efficiency ......................................................................................... 84 7.2. Current Energy Efficiency Incentives and Voluntary Programs .................................... 89 8. Recommendations for Incentives and Voluntary Programs ................................................ 106 8.1. Policy Recommendations.............................................................................................. 107 8.2. Recommendations for Research and Development Activities...................................... 117 8.3. Recommendations for Further Analysis ....................................................................... 119 References................................................................................................................................... 121 Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................... 129 i Acronyms and Abbreviations AC alternating current AEO Annual Energy Outlook AHU air handling unit ANSI American National Standards Institute ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Btu British thermal unit CAGR compound annual growth rate CEMS continuous emissions monitoring system CEO chief executive officer CFO chief financial officer CIO chief information officer CHP combined heat and power CO carbon monoxide CO2 carbon dioxide CPU central processing unit CRAC computer room air conditioner CRAH computer room air handler CW chilled water DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DC direct current DCE data center efficiency DG distributed generation DOE U.S. Department of Energy DR demand response DSM demand-side management EERE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EIA Energy Information Administration EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPAct 2005 Energy Policy Act of 2005 ESCO energy service company ESPC energy services performance contract 1 FEMP Federal Energy Management Program GPS global positioning system GSF gross square foot GW gigawatt HDD hard disk drive HVAC heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ICE Integrated Critical Environment IECC International Energy Conservation Code IT information technology kW kilowatt kWh kilowatt-hour LBNL Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design MAID massive array of idle disks MCFC molten carbonate fuel cell MMTCO2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide MW megawatt MWh megawatt-hour NAECA National Appliance Energy Conservation Act NEMS National Energy Modeling System NOx nitrogen oxides NYSERDA New York State Energy Research and Development Authority O&M operation and maintenance PAFC phosphoric acid fuel cell PBF public benefit fund PEM proton exchange membrane PG&E Pacific Gas & Electric Company PUE power usage effectiveness PV photovoltaic SPEC standard performance evaluation cooperation PDU power distribution unit PSRR physical server reduction ratio PSU power supply unit 2 PUE power usage effectiveness Quad quadrillion (1015) Btu R&D research and development RFID radio frequency identification SATA serial advanced technology attachment SCR selective catalytic reduction SGIP California Self Generation Incentive Program SI-EER site infrastructure energy-efficiency ratio SO2 sulfur dioxide SPEC Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation T&D transmission and distribution TCO total cost of ownership UEC unit energy consumption UESC utilities energy service contract UPS uninterruptible power supply VOIP voice over internet protocol VR voltage regulator 3 Executive Summary The United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this report in response to the request from Congress stated in Public Law 109-431. This report assesses current trends in energy use and energy costs of data centers and servers in the U.S. and outlines existing and emerging opportunities for improved energy efficiency. It provides particular information on the costs of data centers and servers to the federal government and opportunities for reducing those costs through improved efficiency. It also makes recommendations for pursuing these energy-efficiency opportunities broadly across the country through the use of information and incentive-based programs. Background As our economy shifts from paper-based to digital information management, data centers — facilities that primarily contain electronic equipment used for data processing, data storage, and communications networking — have become common and essential to the functioning of business, communications, academic, and governmental systems. Data centers are found in nearly every sector of the economy: financial services, media, high-tech, universities, government institutions, and many others use and operate data centers to aid business processes, information management, and communications functions. The U.S. data center industry is in the midst of a major growth period stimulated by increasing demand for data processing and storage. This demand is driven by several factors, including but not limited to: • the increased use of electronic transactions in financial services, such as on-line banking and electronic trading, • the growing use of internet communication and entertainment, • the shift to electronic