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Data Centers Foil Bank's Energy Goals
Will data center operations become scapegoats when corporate energy conservation programs fall behind schedule? It's a fair question after Barclays Bank said that it was "highly unlikely" to meet its energy reduction goals between now and 2010, and cited its UK data center operations as the issue. "Their projected growth was much higher than had originally been forecast," according to the bank's Corporate Responsibility Report for 2006. "This is disappointing, but we are taking what action we can to ensure that the shortfall is as small as possible." What action is that? Here's Barclays' solution:
Compared with the rest of our buildings and branches, the energy needs of our data centers are very different. Because their requirements are so much higher, we intend to split the data centers out from the main energy reduction target, and during 2007 we will be identifying a separate performance target for them – possibly ‘million instructions per second’. This will help us monitor how efficient our data centers are in processing and storing electronic data, which is their core business activity. Separate reporting will also enable outside observers to understand the energy performance of our conventional offices and buildings, and assess whether these are being managed in an energy-efficient way. Data centers are, of course, still part of our overall CO2 reduction and carbon intensity targets."Many American banks are actively building out their data center infrastructures, even as they also implement high-profile corporate environmental initiatives. Bank of America is dedicating $20 billion to support environmentally sustainable businesses and combat climate change, while Citicorp just topped that with a $50 billion commitment. It will be interesting to see whether any echoes of the Barclays experience emerge as green initiatives move forward in corporate America.
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By Rich Miller 
May 23, 2007 | Permalink | >Get Posts By E-mail
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