Data centers and energy efficiency in nation's most competitive market

Wall St. securities traders need their data delivered instantaneously. For this to happen, data centers must be located very close to the markets where financial professionals trade. These data centers represent a large and profitable sector of the New York City real estate market. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) administers programs and incentives specifically designed to help these facilities operate more efficiently. If you are a data center owner, operator or landlord, our programs can help fund your efforts. NYSERDA programs and incentives are open to all data centers across New York State. The number one issue for the financial data centers is latency, a factor directly linked to real estate location. Latency is the speed at which data can be delivered. Typically, customers look for latency measured in single-digit and double-digit microseconds. Data centers cannot afford to be 500 milliseconds behind the market or they will lose customers. They therefore prefer to be located a short physical distance from end-users, making financial centers like New York City the ideal home for these facilities. With more than $110 million in financial incentives and teams of energy experts, NYSERDA's data center program is ready to help companies identify and implement solutions that make data centers more energy and cost-efficient. From energy analyses to complete data center upgrades, the authority offers cost shares and incentives for a full range of energy efficiency solutions that generate measurable results. For example, NYSERDA recently assisted an investment bank on IT consolidation measures in its Manhattan data center. A $0.16 incentive was offered for every kWh saved based upon the first year's energy savings due to these measures. NYSERDA provided an incentive of nearly $1.5 million to help offset the capital costs of this project. For more information on how to get started with NYSERDA, please visit www.NYSERDASolutions.org or call 1-866-NYSERDA. Brian Platt, P.E. is the program manager for the process, power, and flextech program at NYSERDA, Albany, N.Y.