A recent article in Clean Technica Renewables Could Generate 48% of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Industry's Power Supply by 2020, shares some interesting statistics compiled by the EPA's Green Power Partners program. Based on the reports small sample size, the percentage of renewable energy used to power tech and telecom (data centers) is over 30%. That's a pretty big number when you consider that data centers consumed 91 million megawatt hours, or 2.4% of all US electricity in 2013.

While power consumption has increased by 213% from 2007-2014, renewable energy usage has increased by 2000%. Their report states that renewable energy consumption of the reporting companies was estimated to grow from 7.8 to 37 million megawatt hours between 2014 and 2020 respectively.

For data centers looking to improve their carbon footprint, being green should always start with maximizing energy efficiency. Not every data center has access to renewable energy or can afford to purchase renewable energy credits, but finding ways to cut overall energy consumption is something all data centers can pursue. Even the smallest step can result in significant energy savings. And many times that first small step starts with sealing openings and cable cutouts in a raised floor plenum cooling system.

Sealing cable openings or airspace along walls with an AirGuard grommets can save data centers thousands of dollars a year.

Data center energy conservation, like any journey, begins with that first small step of eliminating energy waste by sealing air plenum openings with AirGuard cable seals.