No One Can Agree on Typical PUE
Submitted by Matt on Fri, 10/08/2010 - 20:31
As more data centers measure their PUE, more and more ask what is typical? The industry does not seem to agree, so a wide range of numbers are out there.
EPA's ENERGY STAR® for Data Centers rating system is based on a mean PUE of 1.9. The EPA will not publish the names of the 61 data centers in the ENERGY STAR reference set and some suspect that it weighted by data centers operated by tech companies already heavily invested in Green ICT.
Another EPA group, the one responsible for ENERGY STAR for Servers, implies in its estimates of energy and CO2e savings that a PUE of 2.5 is more typical. Using 1.9 would lower the savings from ENERGY STAR-qualified servers in this EPA department's scenarios.
Digital Realty Trust's survey of ~300 North American data center managers reports that "The average reported PUE energy efficiency rating for respondents' data centers is 2.9; and one in six respondents report PUE ratings of less than 2.0 for their facilities."
Three different 2010 sources with three different PUEs. What are the real benchmarks? Conscientious leaders of Green ICT initiatives will have to work with resources who can help them establish their own reference set, although anyone striving for the ENERGY STAR for Data Centers label will have to use that one.
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BTW, The EPA predicted in 2007 2011 PUE values for four target scenarios. Note that the EPA's Current Trends scenario prediction was 1.9 for 2011, exactly where the EPA reference set ended up in mid-2010. Today's mega-data centers are striving for very low PUE in the EPA's "Best Practices" and "State-of-the-Art" ranges. |
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