SACRAMENTO /California Newswire/ — The California Recovery Task Force yesterday announced that California companies and organizations have been awarded $35 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funding to reduce energy consumption for data centers and telecommunications systems. California’s infusion of stimulus funding totals approximately 75 percent of the $47 million awarded nationwide.
The funding awards were announced nationally today by the U.S. Department of Energy, which will provide more than $17.8 million to California companies to improve energy efficiency in the data processing, data storage and telecommunications industries. Additionally, three companies headquartered in California will receive another $17.6 million for similar projects in other states.
“Nearly 75 percent of the funding announced today went to California companies, organizations or projects – highlighting our state’s leadership in information technology and telecommunications systems,” said California Recovery Task Force Director Cynthia Bryant. “The projects will help reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in one of California’s strongest, most competitive industries.”
The $47 million in federal funds from the Recovery Act will be matched by more than $70 million in private industry funding, for a total project value of more than $115 million across the country. The projects will fund research, development and demonstration projects in three subject areas: creating more energy-efficient equipment and software for data or telecommunications centers, new technologies to minimize the power loss and heat build-up that occurs as electricity moves through server-based communications systems and finding better ways to cool the equipment used in information technology.
Recovery Act Funding Awarded to California Companies and Organizations Includes:
· Sea Micro was awarded $9.3 million for a low-power processor and software design project in Santa Clara that is expected to reduce energy use from conventional servers by 75 percent.
· Santa Clara-based Power Assure was awarded $5.08 million for a software project in Palo Alto that would power down servers when not needed, possibly cutting energy use by 50 percent.
· Federspiel Controls, Inc. of El Cerrito will use the $0.58 million award to demonstrate new variable speed fans and wireless temperature sensors that will cut cooling costs for temperature-sensitive data center equipment.
· The Ohio-based Edison Materials Technology Center will use a $2.84 million award to test liquid cooling technologies in facilities in Menlo Park and Mountain View.
Additionally, three California-based companies received grants for projects taking place in other states.
· Yahoo, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, was awarded $9.9 million to create an innovative data center in Lockport, NY that will use ambient outdoor air for cooling most of the year to greatly reduce operating costs.
· Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard was awarded $7.4 million to test ways to cut energy losses and heat generation caused by converting electricity to different currents. The project in Houston, TX will make it easier for data centers to more easily use wind, solar and other renewable power sources.
· The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena received $300,000 to fund a study in Ithaca, NY on ways to balance the demand for electricity among multiple data centers.
