In Ken Brill's opening keynote, after going through the background of energy studies in data centers, the path Ken Brill presents is the idea of an Energy Czar, an executive top down position to support a Green Data Center initiative.
This is nice in theory and is a method to sell a green data center program at the executive level. I question whether this is effective though. Part of my skepticism is raised by the fact that McKinsey is the sponsor of the study.
The problem with an Energy Czar is the job becomes a political job negotiating ownership and control of data center capital expenditures and operating expenditures while negotiating new SLAs and technical requirements. The term Czar is appropriate to describe the hierarchy and politics for the job.
I am trying to imagine how this would work.
One simple concept Mike Manos explained in his keynote is to use PUE to communicate the overhead to run data centers. Overhead costs are numbers executives understand. And, once execs understand how Green Data Center programs can affect overhead, projects are approved to improve efficiencies.
Is the PUE method a simpler way to put a Green Data Center initiative in place?
Can you get the executives all nodding their head when they understand how Green Data Center initiatives reduce overhead?
On Weds, there will be a presentation of the McKinsey report, and I'll be able to comment more on the idea of an energy czar to Green Data Centers.
