Biz Buzz: Would the last one to log in please (not) turn out the lights?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The last time there was a massive blackout in the region, it was triggered by a tree brushing against a sagging high-voltage power line on a hot August day in 2003.

The next time the lights go out, it might be tied to the rapid growth in corporate and government data centers.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has warned the electricity consumed by data centers jammed with Internet servers, computers and other electrical equipment is pushing the nation’s power system toward gridlock.

At particular risk: New York City and northern New Jersey.

The United States is home to more than 40 percent of the world’s largest data centers, many of them based in the New York metropolitan area, the EPA says in a recent report.

Data centers account for 1.5 percent of all electrical consumption in the United States, according to the EPA. If unchecked, consumption could double in the next five years.

Failure to resolve the problem will likely lead to more frequent power outages and higher prices for consumers and businesses, the EPA says.

There is some hope, however. More efficient systems using advanced processors, data storage and power generation equipment could dramatically reduce energy consumption.

– Tom Johnson