NetApp Throttles Air Conditioners–Reaps Millions of Dollars

Michael Kanellos

December 8, 2008 at 2:48 PM

Shut down the air conditioners and earn millions.

That’s the message from NetApp, the services and storage giant. The company received a $1.4 million dollar rebate from Pacific Gas and Electric for retrofitting its data center in Sunnyvale, Calif. with an eye toward energy efficiency.

The changes will save approximately $1.2 million in power bills a year. If you extrapolate that over three years, NetApp will save $3.6 million in power and still have that $1.4 million rebate.

The new data center, as configured, has a power use effectiveness (PUE) of 1.3. PUE is a ratio comparing the total amount of power consumed by a data center divided by the amount actually used for computing. A PUE of 1 is the mythical idea. Some data centers in California have a horrendous PUE of 3 or higher. Most of that extra power goes into air conditioning. Keeping servers cool takes about half of the power in a conventional data center.

Upgrades included a flywheel as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, energy-efficient transformers, outside air economizers (i.e. things that let in air from the outside to cool stuff), and a variable primary chiller plant.

Data centers use approximately 1.5 percent of the power in the U.S. and 2.5 percent here in Northern California and the figure is rising. Perhaps even more important for greentech companies, data centers have already signaled that they will invest in energy efficiency technologies, which makes them an easier sales target than some other industries.

PG&E is also working on a program to give large companies rebates for replacing PCs with thin clients.

UN: Poor Countries Will Need $130B A Year to Adapt to Climate Change

from Earth2Tech by Josie Garthwaite

Delegates from 190 countries have gathered in Poznan, Poland this week as part of negotiations for a climate change treaty expected to be finalized in Copenhagen next year. According Yvo de Boer, the top climate change official at the UN, delegates today focused largely on adaptation, or helping developing countries take steps to withstand severe drought, extreme storms, and other events expected to become more frequent as a result of of climate change. (You can watch a video of his press briefing here.)

Officials said this morning that wealthy nations will have to step up funding for that effort. By 2030, the AP reports, poor countries will need $130 billion each year for adaptation and emissions reduction projects, about six times the amount now available. Boer described the Developed Countries Fund — and strategies for streamlining it and feeding it into sustainable development — a “hot topic” at this week’s talks.

In an interview with the Science and Development Network earlier this week, de Boer emphasized another fund. He said he hoped the Poznan talks, which continue next week, would “mark the launch of the Adaptation Fund, which is important to developing countries and will provide real money for them to adapt to the inevitable impact of climate change.”

Today Boer noted an “emerging convergence” among delegates that a global response to climate change should have four building blocks: mitigation, finance, technology, and adaptation. The importance of this newfound common ground, he noted, is not to be overlooked. “Many have pointed to the fact that this shared vision is an opportunity to channel society in a low-carbon direction.” And while delegates in Poznan have called for speeding implementation of known adaptation strategies, it could also be an opportunity (as a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation report found this summer) to channel innovation into technologies that can help accelerate that move.

Electric car proposal has Hawaii charged up

Dynamic PhotoNews^TM from Hawaii
IT'S ELECTRIC!

A California firm proposes to jump-start electric car use in Hawaii

STORY SUMMARY | READ THE FULL STORY

By 2012, Hawaii is poised to become a national leader in electric car use under an ambitious plan announced yesterday by Gov. Linda Lingle.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Better Place has proposed a $1 billion plan to be funded through private investments that would include up to 100,000 charging stations around Hawaii and possible state incentives for thousands of electric car buyers to be rolled out in the next several years.

It is the first statewide project of its kind, and follows a similar outlay announced last month in San Francisco.

"Better Place is a grand scale step in the right direction," Sen. Daniel Inouye said in a statement. "Let us not falter or recede from our commitment to reduce our dependency on foreign oil."

Under the plan, which might include government incentives for customers to buy electric vehicles, drivers would pay up to 8 cents a mile to buy electricity through Better Place under a subscription plan similar to that of a cell phone contract.

The plan is part of the state's Clean Energy Initiative, which provides that 70 percent of power come from clean energy sources by 2030.

"Our goal is 1.2 million cars in Hawaii all going electric," said Shai Agassi, founder and chief executive of Better Place.

— Jennifer Sudick