Harmonizing Global Metrics for Data Center Energy Efficiency - March 2014

Overview

This March 2014 note is a record of agreement, not a technical study. The signatories are the US DOE (Save Energy Now/FEMP), US EPA ENERGY STAR, the EU JRC Code of Conduct, Japan's METI together with the Green IT Promotion Council, and The Green Grid. The aim is to make efficiency figures reported in different regions comparable with one another.

The scope falls in three clusters: PUE measurement and reporting conventions (including partial PUE), the green energy coefficient (GEC) with renewable energy accounting, and productivity proxies such as data center energy productivity (DCeP). The memo introduces no new formula; it fixes the shared rules under which existing definitions are used. Its value is in institutionalising the principle that every figure must be reported with its boundary and period.

Its historical position matters: it is the bridge between The Green Grid metrics and the later ISO/IEC 30134 KPI series. ISO/IEC 30134-2 for PUE, 30134-3 for the renewable energy factor, and the EU Code of Conduct can be read as the continuation of this harmonisation. The note is short, so this page rests on the record summary, and since it contains no numeric thresholds or targets none should be expected.

Key points

1. Signatories: US DOE (Save Energy Now/FEMP), US EPA ENERGY STAR, EU JRC Code of Conduct, Japan METI and Green IT Promotion Council, The Green Grid.
2. PUE reporting conventions and partial PUE are harmonised.
3. Green/renewable energy accounting (GEC) is in scope.
4. DCeP and other productivity proxies are in scope.
5. The memo is the historical bridge between Green Grid metrics and the ISO/IEC 30134 series.

Using it in design

• Present PUE, partial PUE, REF/GEC, ERF, WUE and CUE as one consistent metric set in every report.
• Write the measurement boundary and measurement period next to every reported figure; that is the memo's core lesson.
• In bids that compare sites across regions, check that all parties computed PUE on the same boundary.

Who should read it

Operators running sites in several countries and regulators who need internationally comparable metrics.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 30134-2
• ISO/IEC 30134-3 (REF)
• EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres

Publication details

Authors

The Green Grid

Publisher

The Green Grid (Global Metrics Harmonization Task Force)

Year

2014

Document language

English

Source type

Industry body

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation