Green Innovations

Developing renewable and clean technology companies in New York

Monday, March 22, 2010

NYSERDA Commits $100 Million over Next Two Years to Improve Energy Efficiency of Data Centers and Manufacturers

For more information from NYSERDA:  
http://www.nyserda.org/programs/Existing_Facilities/industrial.html
http://www.nyserda.org/Press_Releases/2010/PressReleas20100316.asp
New York has the nation’s second largest concentration of data centers—the centralized hubs that control the flow of computer information.  Recent studies conducted by Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that New York data centers spend nearly $600 million per year on energy costs and projected that their energy consumption could double in three to five years.

Over the next two years, New York State will provide over $100 million through its Industrial and Process Efficiency program to help data centers and manufacturers control their energy costs and improve their competitiveness, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA.  Funding will support energy studies and capital improvements that will increase energy efficiency and productivity and reduce waste.   

While NYSERDA offers incentives for all business sectors to retrofit existing buildings or to incorporate energy efficiency measures into new buildings, this new funding is being targeted specifically for data centers and manufacturers, which are among the largest consumers of energy and have significant potential for efficient growth.

To ensure the widest possible access to these energy efficiency funds, NYSERDA has awarded three companies approximately $2 million each to help manufacturers and data centers identify cost-effective energy savings options and educate these businesses on available funding.  The companies are Clough Harbour & Associates (CHA) (Albany), Energy & Resource Solutions (ERS) (New York), and Willdan Energy Solutions (New York).

In 2009, NYSERDA invested approximately $4 million to improve the energy efficiency of the manufacturing and data center industries, reducing their energy consumption by nearly 41 million kilowatt hours of electricity—the equivalent of supplying nearly 6,300 single family homes with electricity for an entire year.