Energy Secretary Steven Chu  announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $47 million for 14 projects to support new technology in the IT and communication sectors. Projects are encouraged to be in the data processing, data storage and telecommunications fields.Because of the rapid growth of these industries there has been an increasingly heavy demand on electricity needs to support these industries.
“These Recovery Act projects will improve the efficiency of a strong and growing sector of the American economy. By reducing energy use and energy costs for the IT and telecommunications industries, this funding will help create jobs and ensure the sector remains competitive,†said Secretary Chu. “The expected growth of these industries means that new technologies adopted today will yield benefits for many years to come.â€
The $47 million from federal funds is almost doubled by private industry funding with at $70 million. The project has a value of more than $115 million.
“Information technology and telecommunications facilities account for approximately 120 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually – or 3 percent of all U.S. electricity use. Moreover, rapid growth in the U.S. data center industry is projected to require two new large power plants per year just to keep pace with the expected demand growth” said Chu.
The agency has the top selections for awards and each will undergo more tests before the final decision about projects will be made.
