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1: The Importance of Green IT 5

Data centers are found in nearly every sector of the economy, including
financial services, media, high-tech, universities, and government institu-
tions. Dramatic server growth at data centers is indicated by well-known web
services such as Google, Amazon, and eBay. Estimates indicate that Google
maintains more than 450,000 servers, arranged in racks located in clusters in
cities around the world. Google has major data centers in California,
Virginia, Georgia, and Ireland, and new facilities in Oregon and Belgium. In
2009, Google is planning to open one of its first sites in the upper Midwest
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, close to abundant wind power resources for fulfilling
green energy objectives and proximate to fiber optic communications links.
For additional information on the positioning of new data centers close to
abundant renewable electric power sources, see Appendix C, “Comparison of
Different Power-Generation Methods.” Amazon.com and eBay also have
thousands of servers. It is estimated that the Second Life Internet-based vir-
tual world launched in 2003 has more than 9,000 servers. Even with these
large numbers of current servers, IBM consultants estimates that in the next
decade, server shipments will grow by six times and data storage by an amaz-
ing 69-fold.
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Green energy-efficient data centers can help us reduce greenhouse gases—
which, in turn, can help reduce global warming. The recent UN and White
House sessions on climate change emphasize the environmental importance
of green projects. Although the extent of the global warming danger might
continue to be open to debate, implementing green data centers presents a
significant opportunity for all of us to help reduce greenhouse gasses.
In many instances—such as building alternative energy sources by imple-
menting solar panels, or wind turbines—going green has not been economi-
cal and can be justified only by government or energy utility rebates. Yet
implementing green data centers can be quite financially rewarding—espe-
cially when you go first after the low-hanging fruit. As I’ve indicated
throughout this book, going to green IT is a win/win for all parties involved.
Energy expenditures for IT keep increasing. Figures mentioned previously
bear repeating. According to the research firm IDC: By 2010, for every $1
spent on hardware, 70 cents will be spent on power and cooling, and by
2012, for every $1 spent on hardware, $1 will be spent on power and cooling.
Green IT has generated significant customer interest throughout the world.
Much of the interest comes from the financial return on green data center
investment.
Here is a general definition of a green data center: A repository for the
storage, management, and dissemination of data in which the mechanical,