42 U.S.C. § 17112
Section 17112 · Energy efficiency for data center buildings
Current version, with additions and removals from the December 19, 2007 version.
In this section:
In this section:
(1) Data center
(1) Data center
The term “data center” means any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information, which may be—
The term "data center" means any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information, which may be—
(A) a free-standing structure; or
(A) a free-standing structure; or
(B) a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.
(B) a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.
(2) Data center operator
(2) Data center operator
The term “data center operator” means any person or government entity that builds or operates a data center or purchases data center services, equipment, and facilities.
The term "data center operator" means any person or government entity that builds or operates a data center or purchases data center services, equipment, and facilities.
(1) In general
(1) In general
Not later than 90 days after December 19, 2007, the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, after consulting with information technology industry and other interested parties, initiate a voluntary national information program for those types of data centers and data center equipment and facilities that are widely used and for which there is a potential for significant data center energy savings as a result of the program.
Not later than 90 days after December 19, 2007, the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, after consulting with information technology industry and other interested parties, initiate a voluntary national information program for those types of data centers and data center equipment and facilities that are widely used and for which there is a potential for significant data center energy savings as a result of the program.
(2) Requirements
(2) Requirements
The program described in paragraph (1) shall—
The program described in paragraph (1) shall—
(A) address data center efficiency holistically, reflecting the total energy consumption of data centers as whole systems, including both equipment and facilities;
(A) address data center efficiency holistically, reflecting the total energy consumption of data centers as whole systems, including both equipment and facilities;
(B) consider prior work and studies undertaken in this area, including by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy;
(B) consider prior work and studies undertaken in this area, including by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy;
(C) consistent with the objectives described in paragraph (1), determine the type of data center and data center equipment and facilities to be covered under the program;
(C) consistent with the objectives described in paragraph (1), determine the type of data center and data center equipment and facilities to be covered under the program;
(D) produce specifications, measurements, best practices, and benchmarks that will enable data center operators to make more informed decisions about the energy efficiency and costs of data centers, and that take into account—
(D) produce specifications, measurements, best practices, and benchmarks that will enable data center operators to make more informed decisions about the energy efficiency and costs of data centers, and that take into account—
(i) the performance and use of servers, data storage devices, and other information technology equipment;
(i) the performance and use of servers, data storage devices, and other information technology equipment;
(ii) the efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, cooling, and power conditioning systems, provided that no modification shall be required of a standard then in effect under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) for any covered heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, cooling or power-conditioning product;
(ii) the efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, cooling, and power conditioning systems, provided that no modification shall be required of a standard then in effect under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) for any covered heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, cooling or power-conditioning product;
(iii) energy savings from the adoption of software and data management techniques; and
(iii) energy savings from the adoption of software and data management techniques; and
(E) allow for creation of separate specifications, measurements, and benchmarks based on data center size and function, as well as other appropriate characteristics;
(E) allow for creation of separate specifications, measurements, and benchmarks based on data center size and function, as well as other appropriate characteristics;
(F) advance the design and implementation of efficiency technologies to the maximum extent economically practical;
(F) advance the design and implementation of efficiency technologies to the maximum extent economically practical;
(G) provide to data center operators in the private sector and the Federal Government information about best practices and purchasing decisions that reduce the energy consumption of data centers; and
(G) provide to data center operators in the private sector and the Federal Government information about best practices and purchasing decisions that reduce the energy consumption of data centers; and
(H) publish the information described in subparagraph (G), which may be disseminated through catalogs, trade publications, the Internet, or other mechanisms, that will allow data center operators to assess the energy consumption and potential cost savings of alternative data centers and data center equipment and facilities.
(H) publish the information described in subparagraph (G), which may be disseminated through catalogs, trade publications, the Internet, or other mechanisms, that will allow data center operators to assess the energy consumption and potential cost savings of alternative data centers and data center equipment and facilities.
(3) Procedures
The program described in paragraph (1) shall be developed in consultation with and coordinated by the organization described in subsection (c) according to commonly accepted procedures for the development of specifications, measurements, and benchmarks.
(1) In general
(1) In general
After the establishment of the program described in subsection (b), the Secretary and the Administrator shall jointly designate an information technology industry organization to consult with and to coordinate the program.
The Secretary and the Administrator shall carry out subsection (b) in collaboration with the information technology industry and other key stakeholders, with the goal of producing results that accurately reflect the most relevant and useful information.
The organization designated under paragraph (1), whether preexisting or formed specifically for the purposes of subsection (b), shall—
In carrying out the collaboration described in paragraph (1), the Secretary and the Administrator shall pay particular attention to organizations that—
(C) follow—
(ii) accredited standards development processes; or
(E) have the primary responsibility to consult in the development and publishing of the information, measurements, and benchmarks described in subsection (b) and transmission of the information to the Secretary and the Administrator for consideration under subsection (d).
(1) In general
(2) Rejections
If the Secretary or the Administrator rejects 1 or more specifications, measurements, or benchmarks described in subsection (b), the rejection shall be made consistent with section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note; Public Law 104–113).
(3) Determination of impracticability
A determination that a specification, measurement, or benchmark described in subsection (b) is impractical may include consideration of the maximum efficiency that is technologically feasible and economically justified.
The Secretary and the Administrator shall—
(1) monitor and evaluate the efforts to develop the program described in subsection (b); and
(2) not later than 3 years after December 19, 2007, make a determination as to whether the program is consistent with the objectives of subsection (b).
If the Secretary and the Administrator make a determination under subsection (e) that a voluntary national information program for data centers consistent with the objectives of subsection (b) has not been developed, the Secretary and the Administrator shall, after consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and not later than 2 years after the determination, develop and implement the program under subsection (b).
(1) Definition of report
In this subsection, the term "report" means the report of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory entitled "United States Data Center Energy Usage Report" and dated June 2016, which was prepared as an update to the "Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency", published on August 2, 2007, pursuant to section 1 of Public Law 109–431 (120 Stat. 2920).
(2) Study
Not later than 4 years after December 27, 2020, the Secretary, in collaboration with the Administrator, shall make available to the public an update to the report that provides—
(A) a comparison and gap analysis of the estimates and projections contained in the report with new data regarding the period from 2015 through 2019;
(B) an analysis considering the impact of information technologies, including virtualization and cloud computing, in the public and private sectors;
(C) an evaluation of the impact of the combination of cloud platforms, mobile devices, social media, and big data on data center energy usage;
(D) an evaluation of water usage in data centers and recommendations for reductions in that water usage; and
(E) updated projections and recommendations for best practices through fiscal year 2025.
(1) In general
The Secretary, in collaboration with key stakeholders and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall maintain a data center energy practitioner program that provides for the certification of energy practitioners qualified to evaluate the energy usage and efficiency opportunities in federally owned and operated data centers.
(2) Evaluations
Each Federal agency shall consider having the data centers of the agency evaluated once every 4 years by energy practitioners certified pursuant to the program, whenever practicable using certified practitioners employed by the agency.
(1) In general
The Secretary, in collaboration with key stakeholders and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall establish an open data initiative relating to energy usage at federally owned and operated data centers, with the purpose of making the data available and accessible in a manner that encourages further data center innovation, optimization, and consolidation.
(2) Consideration
In establishing the initiative under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider using the online Data Center Maturity Model.
The Secretary, in collaboration with key stakeholders, shall actively participate in efforts to harmonize global specifications and metrics for data center energy and water efficiency.
(i) Data center utilization metric
The Secretary, in collaboration with key stakeholders, shall facilitate in the development of an efficiency metric that measures the energy efficiency of a data center (including equipment and facilities).