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1: The Importance of Green IT 9

■ Increased strain on the existing power grid to meet the increased electric-
ity demand
■ Increased capital costs for expansion of data center capacity and construc-
tion of new data centers

For these reasons, there has been mounting interest in opportunities for
energy efficiency in this sector. To its credit, the Information Technology (IT)
industry is actively investigating and developing solutions, such as power-
managed servers and adaptive cooling.
The direct energy use of IT and infrastructure equipment is not, however,
the only way that data centers affect energy use. The data-processing and
communication services provided by data centers can also lead to indirect
reductions in energy use in the broader economy, which can exceed the
incremental data center energy expenditures in some cases. For instance,
e-commerce and telecommuting reduce both freight and passenger trans-
portation energy use. When we use an electronic bookstore such as
Amazon.com, that use of e-commerce can save us from driving to the local
bookstore, and, hence, save energy. We can attend a “virtual” conference us- ptg
®
ing a web-conferencing service such as Webex or Microsoft Live Meeting
and thus save the energy expenditure of an airline flight to the conference,
use of a rental car, and all the other energy use that travel entails.
The pursuit of energy efficiency opportunities in data centers is especially
important because of the estimated continued rapid growth of direct energy
use in data centers and the resulting impact on both the power grid and U.S.
industries.
To repeat the theme: We’re all aware of rising energy costs in today’s data
centers and the growing concerns over global warming and other environ-
mental issues. These problems have made green IT one of the hottest topics
in the IT area. But what exactly is green IT and green computing and how
does it affect IT infrastructures? This book provides an outline on the con-
cepts, benefits, and business value of green computing, such as the following:

■ A definition/analysis of green computing and its benefits
■ An overview of green computing solutions
■ The business case for going green
■ Implementation of an energy management solution
■ Why energy efficiency is so important