A Green Cloud is a Transparent Cloud

By Eric Woods
Pike Research
Guest Blogger, Energy Efficiency Markets
June 22, 2011

At Connectivity Week in Santa Clara, recently, I took part in a series of panel discussions on data center energy efficiency. The discussions covered a wide range of issues from the practicalities of infrastructure optimization to the possible role of data centers in demand response schemes. There was a particular focus on the importance, and also the challenge, of making a closer connection between overall data center efficiency and the effective work being done by IT equipment. A more general theme was the sheer complexity of the changes happening in the data center industry. It seems everything is in flux, from changes in the power grid to the impact of smart devices on IT demand. This is the context in which operational changes like the move to more dynamic management of power and cooling infrastructures and the introduction of virtualization are taking place.

In the midst of these changes, it was a pleasure to hear what some of the leading companies are doing in terms of increasing the energy efficiency and lowering their environmental impact of their data centers. An important point was made about the benefits of sharing good ideas, experience, and best practice. The data center professionals at the event, which included people from Cisco, NetApp, and Sybase/SAP, were generous with the insight they provided on what they are doing in their data centers and the challenges they face. The question was also asked why some data centers are less willing to talk about the specifics of their operation. While commercial sensitivities are often cited, the issues that are being addressed in terms of cooling efficiency, for example, can hardly be seen as business critical. More importantly, lack of transparency makes it harder to assess the real environmental impact of a given data center.

This discussion came back to me as I read the latest Greenpeace report on the environmental performance of the IT industry. In the report, “How Dirty Is Your Data?“, the organization takes a critical look at the environmental impact of the growth in data centers. Greenpeace is largely positive about the role that IT can play in reducing carbon emissions and other forms of environmental damage. It also recognizes the impact of the move to cloud computing on demand patterns and on how the industry operates. However, the report makes the case, that cloud computing will only be as green as the data centers that support it. We have made a similar point regarding how realizing the potential environmental benefits of cloud computing depends on how the model is actually instantiated. One of Greenpeace’s strongest criticisms of current practice is that there is still a tendency among some of the biggest players in the cloud space to build data centers in low-cost energy regions that are largely dependent on coal-powered generators. The organization’s bust-up with Facebook over this issue is well-known, but it points out that other major cloud providers have also shown inconsistency in their location planning for data centers. The irony, of course, is that these decisions are often being made in parallel with much-lauded moves to use more renewable energy in other data centers or to improve the energy efficiency of operations. On the positive side, Greenpeace sees some signs of more considered and transparent strategies for data center location emerging, with Yahoo! cited as a pathfinder in this regard.

However, the strongest point made by the Greenpeace report and the one that connects back to the discussions in Santa Clara, is about the general lack of transparency on these issues. As the report says, “much of the information that would allow us to assess the net benefits of the cloud by measuring the true environmental cost…is missing.” The role of data centers as “the factories of the Technology Revolution” means that we need to develop greater visibility on the choices being made about their energy consumption and their energy sources. Any company has the right to keep its operational data private, but customers, investors, and employees have a right to know how well it is living up to its own ethical claims and how it compares with its competitors on the sustainability of its operations. If cloud computing is to live up to claims of being a greener solution, then we need more open reporting and standard metrics on energy use in data centers to enable an objective assessment of how well providers are performing.

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Is the energy efficiency service markets still MUSH?

By Elisa Wood
June 8, 2011

We hear a lot about energy efficiency these days, but who is actually pursuing it?

In recent years most of the big players that install efficiency measures, the energy service companies (ESCos), have found work largely in the MUSH market: municipal and state governments, universities, schools and hospitals. In fact, a report in June 2010 by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Association of Energy Service Companies found that MUSH made up 70% of the work done by ESCos.

Private businesses, on the other hand, were backing away from making energy efficiency improvements when the report was written. A year has passed. Is the market still MUSH?

I looked at the projects announced by the big players in recent months. Here’s a sampling of a few.

• Ameresco struck deals with the Greensboro Housing Authority, Boston Housing Authority, state of Alaska for public university buildings, New York State School District, Penn State University and City of Portland, Maine.
• Chevron Energy Services is bringing efficiency to East Side Union High School District in San Jose, California; North Carolina Central University; the city of Victoria, Texas; as well as Orange County, California and Santa Monica College.
• Noresco is working with the state of Hawaii, Fort Worth Naval Air Station, the Allendale County Schools in South Carolina, Capitol Hill and Elkhart County, Indiana.
• And on and on as I made way down the list of large ESCos.

My very unscientific survey indicated that MUSH still predominates. And that’s not a bad thing. The MUSH market certainly has a lot of room for energy savings. And federal-stimulus dollars and state clean energy funds are available now particularly for government-backed institutions.

Fewer financial incentives are available for businesses. But even when money is offered, small to medium-size businesses are harder to sell on energy efficiency, especially now. Even if an energy efficiency project offers a quick payback, businesses are reticent to make any initial capital investment. Or in a lot of cases, it’s hard for energy efficiency companies to even get a meeting with busy business people, especially in an economy that has left so many paddling furiously to stay above water.

The state of New York is attempting to crack the business market. One program, funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), tries to make it easier for small businesses to analyze building energy usage.

Few best-of-class monitoring technologies exist for the small business market. But the project uses a combination of inexpensive Onset data loggers and NorthWrite’s Energy Expert Plus, an information management software and service that gathers, analyzes and displays data about a building’s energy performance. The monitoring systems feed the information into NorthWrite software, where it is modeled with inputs, such as utility rates, weather and building characteristics. An analyst studies the report and provides the building manager with recommendations on energy upgrades that will achieve 10% to 15% annual energy savings. Next, NorthWrite connects building managers with NYSERDA-approved contractors that can make the energy improvements.

“What we are providing with NorthWrite MBCx is a service,” said Terrence McManus,NorthWrite’s chief marketing officer. “Building managers could attempt to use these tools independently, but they do not have the time to learn what all the data means. They are already short-handed and responding to tenants needs. This turn-key service makes it easier for them to move forward with energy efficiency measures that provide a quick pay back.”

So that’s one example of an attempt to make it easier for businesses to pursue energy efficiency. I’m guessing there are many similar stories out there. Do you have one? If so, please post it in the comment section here, or email me at elisa@realenergywriters.com. I’d like to use this blog at a future date to highlight non-MUSHY innovations that are drawing the elusive business market toward energy efficiency. Look forward to hearing from you.

Elisa Wood is a long-time energy business writer. See more of her work atwww.RealEnergyWriters.com

Move over Saudi Arabia. Here comes Nash and his dad!

By Elisa Wood
June 1, 2011

As a parent, I don’t expect world changing results when I gripe at my kids. I’m happy if they at least leave a path through the dirty clothes on their bedroom floors.

If you’re like that too, you’ll be a little sheepish when you hear the story of inventor and journalist Pierce Hoover. His 13-year-old son, Nash, kept forgetting to shut off the lights, so Hoover made a very big deal about it, the kind that changes the world.

Hoover took Nash to a local gym to ride an exercise bike that measures energy output in watts. He challenged his son to pedal hard enough to generate enough power to light a 100-watt bulb. Nash found that it took a lot of sweat.

“I wanted to instill in him the awareness that electric power, while inexpensive, doesn’t just flow effortlessly from a socket. Electric energy is the product of a complex infrastructure that runs back through the grid to places where big wheels labor and massive boilers consume natural resources, create heat, and emit waste gasses,” said Hoover in his blog at PopSci.com.

Then Hoover and Nash got an idea. Would it be possible to cross the country peddling their way on just a light bulb worth of energy each day?

With a team of engineer friends, the father-son duo built a human-electric hybrid vehicle with a motor fueled by a battery and kinetic energy generated through pedaling. They leave Virginia June 2 to cross the country to Oregon, a 4,500 mile trip, in the cart-like two-seater, which is powered by a 100-watt battery.

It’s going to be a slow, but scenic trip, reports Hoover who works for PopSci’s parent, Bonnier Corporation. Since the vehicle only travels 25 miles per hour at top speed, they cannot use major throughways. Instead, they’ll follow the TransAmerica Bike Trail, which will add about 1,200 extra miles to their journey.

Rationed at 2,400 watts a day, the father and son will take a three hour rest each day as they recharge their batteries and that of the car, which only holds 1,400 watts. They expect to travel about 60 miles per day.

What kind of mileage does the cart get? As much as 1,000 miles per gallon, according to a news release issued by Popular Science Magazine, which is sponsoring the trip along with GE. The father and son have dubbed the trip the “Eco Tour” and say they will spread a message of conservation.

“The Eco Tour is a fantastic example of technological ingenuity combined with personal conviction, and we’re thrilled to bring our readers along for the journey,” said Mark Jannot, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science.

Okay, so maybe the Saudis aren’t quaking at the sight of Hoover and Nash pedaling down the road. But still, Hoover is likely to make not only his son, but a lot of other people, think in a more meaningful way about producing and using energy.

You can follow their journey at www.popsci.com/ecotour or twitter.com/popsciecotour.

See more of Elisa Wood’s work at www.RealEnergyWriters.com