Smart grid energy efficiency: Data center investments to climb

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For a variety of reasons, energy consumption wasn't much of a concern for data centers in many industries, but that attitude is changing in a big way as IT costs are becoming more apparent, according to a new report from Pike Research. The cleantech research company says  investments in energy efficiency technologies will equal 28% of the total $150 billion global data center infrastructure market by 2015.

"The green data center has evolved in response to concern over energy use, but it is also connected to the broader transformation that data centers are undergoing," said Pike senior analyst Eric Woods. "Data centers of the future will be more energy efficient, more adaptable to new business needs and new technology opportunities, and virtualized to ensure optimal use of IT resources, space and energy."

That assessment, of course, fits the utility industry IT sector perfectly as it looks for ways to streamline and modernize operations to accommodate a rising tide of data in the smart grid era, ensure new applications and technologies work together seamlessly, provide reliable and secure power, enhance customer service, integrate renewable energy and more.

The report, Green Data Centers, examines trends, analyzes new developments in software management and technologies and breaks down the size and growth of the market by region and technology.

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Green Data Centers report: Executive summary

Energy efficiency investments expected to keep climbing in 2011