The high cost of powering data centers in universities has led some to start embracing greener technologies. But experts say, compared with other industries, colleges and universities have been slow to adopt energy-saving technologies, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
A survey conducted by the computer vendor CDW-G last June found that higher-education institutions are less likely than businesses, the K-12 sector, and the federal government to have policy to encourage energy-efficient purchasing decisions and are less likely to hold IT departments responsible for their own energy costs.
However, some universities are responding. Stanford University expects to invest upwards of $50 million in a green data center that is twice as energy efficient as the university's current model. The university expects to save $3.2 million annually in energy costs over 25 years.
Here are some expert tips on how to cut energy bills while increasing data center’s cooling reliability and stability.
Last November, the U.S Department of Energy and the EPA released “Energy Efficiency in Data Centers: Recommendations for Government-Industry Coordination.”