Clarkson, NYSERDA team up to develop sustainable energy data centers

POTSDAM — Researchers at Clarkson University are hoping to transform an entire industry’s consumption of energy with a broad new partnership.

Clarkson faculty members are working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., HP and other private businesses to create a new model network of wind- and solar-powered data centers. These data centers, which process and store information for commercial, governmental, financial and medical institutions, consume as much energy as 1,000 houses at times of peak operation.

“We were wondering how we could use renewable resources to power computers,” said Piergiovanni Marzocca, an associate professor in Clarkson’s Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering’s mechanical and aeronautical engineering department. “We initiated the discussions, and from there we thought it would be a great idea if we had a network of computing facilities that will create a cloud. We are looking into significantly reducing their energy expenditure, which is primarily from fossil fuel.”

The Clarkson project will involve the creation of a “cloud” or a network of data that can be accessed from any location. Data centers that use this cloud then will be installed near renewable energy production sites, with operations being conducted remotely at whatever site is producing the most energy.

The Clarkson researchers hope the network will help offset the growing power loads required by commercial data centers, which double every five years. According to NYSERDA, data centers account for 3 percent of all electricity consumed in New York state.

“It will cut down significantly the amount of energy that is being used to date for data centers, which is astronomical and is growing exponentially,” Mr. Marzocca said. “We thought it would be a really special project to carry out and see if we could work towards a greener planet. It has great potential.”

In addition to a $300,000 investment from NYSERDA, the Clarkson project is supported by the equipment and expertise of HP, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and a number of small businesses. Four Clarkson professors are working on the project, with several other faculty members and students providing supplementary research about energy policies, economics and integration with existing power grids.

Although it likely will be several years before the project is implemented on a large scale, Mr. Marzocca said he is confident in the collaborative effort between the businesses and Clarkson. Next month, the Clarkson scholars will meet with Canadians conducting complementary research to discuss an international data center network.

“They are actually working hard in the same directions, and they have a lot of renewable resources, including hydro, wind and solar,” Mr. Marzocca said. “It really is a very interdisciplinary project; it will require expertise from many different sectors.”