A good friend of mine, we’ll call him Mr. M, recently sent me a suggestion on how to improve data center efficiency. At first it had me laughing, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. In full disclosure let me say that Mr. M and I have known each other for a good twenty-plus years. He is well known for his expertise in AC-DC and DC-DC power conversion devices as well as being a wee-bit opinionated.
When I read his suggestion, to employee “semi-retired” energy greeters (experts, empowered to manage energy efficiency activities i.e. using the off switch), much like Wal-Mart greeters, I knew he was on to something. Instead of walking into your typical, stoic data center expecting a long-list of refresh and upgrade work for the day, you were greeted with a friendly, cheerful, smiling person saying “Hello. Welcome to our energy efficient data center. This week we are featuring blanking-plate and containment projects.” Would that change your outlook on pursuing energy efficiency projects in your data center?
Mr. M also offered that these need not be semi-retired individuals. They could just as easily be interns, recent grads, or career-changing individuals with a passion for energy efficiency and the environment. No need to saddle IT or facilities people with yet another corporate mandate - bring in the new and passionate energy greeters!
And “passion” is a great concept that one should find embodied in anyone you task with energy, environmental, or sustainability projects. Especially to lead that energy efficiency or environmental task designed with demonstrable improvements in mind.
Look around your organization, your industry, and perhaps outside your industry for those individuals with such a passion. Then consider bolstering their knowledge base and skill sets with related continuing education targeted at the “green” sector. This is an emerging area where forward thinking universities like California State University Fullerton, amongst others, have created certificate programs ranging from sustainability to data center energy management. This may be just the ticket to launch a new career or two in your enterprise data centers.
How long will it be before you hear, “Good morning, welcome to our energy efficient data center.”?