DoE Not Weighing ‘Future’ Funding for ICT Energy Efficiency Research
Stimulus money for energy-efficiency research in communications and information technology (CD June 3 p7) should be spent within two years, the Department of Energy said as it released details in a Funding Opportunity Announcement. The department is not immediately considering additional funding for continuing ICT projects chosen for the stimulus funds, it said. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Tuesday $50 million to finance research on energy efficiency improvements in the communications and IT industries.
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Saying energy used in data centers and telecom systems is 3 percent of the U.S. total and growing rapidly, DoE wants the stimulus money to go to developing new technologies that can dramatically improve energy efficiency in ICT, “with an emphasis on new technologies that can be commercialized within the next three to five years.” The funding also would go for “highly energy efficient” emerging technologies that can be field tested and are “ready for or in the initial stage of commercial introduction.”
Funding for “concept studies” for a project is limited to $300,000 and will go to “specific, promising ICT technology that offers the potential for major energy, carbon, and economic benefits,” DoE said. “While the focus technology must be in the early stages of research, the study will also indicate how the technology will eventually fit into commercial markets.” The studies shouldn’t exceed one year and should involve technologies applicable to equipment and software, the power supply chain or cooling, it said.
An ICT energy-efficiency project’s research and development funding is limited to $10 million, the department said. In the equipment and software category, the projects are expected to come up with “novel approaches” to design and manage computing hardware and software of server-based data and telecommunications centers, to achieve “high levels of energy performance.” The “key theme” is to reduce heat generation in the first place, DoE said, so “energy will be saved by developing novel systems that generate less heat.” One way may be new circuitry that uses less energy by increasing chip output per unit of power or is impervious to heat, the department said.
Research into power supply chains could include developing high-efficiency power conversion circuits which optimize server-based data center and telecom equipment and special purpose chips. Regarding cooling, said to account for more than 25 percent of power used by IT in telecom and data centers, the money will go to creating advanced technologies and developing techniques to reduce the possibility of failures associated with “free” cooling.
Applications for funding must be filed through www.fedconnect.net, DoE said. The application deadline is July 21.