Energy Efficient Servers Not Enough to Make US Top Clean Tech Producer

As U.S. data centers continually attempt to reduce their carbon footprint and save money through energy efficiency, other business areas around the world continue to forge forward at an accelerated pace in green technology.

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy estimates that achieving 15 percent electricity savings and 10 percent natural gas savings could save Americans almost $170 billion and create over 220,000 jobs while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 262 million metric tons—eliminating the need to build 390 power plants, according to Green Technology Magazine.

Yet on the list of clean technology producers worldwide, America sits at number 17 with 0.3 percent of its GDP ($45 billion) coming from the production of clean technologies. However, the report, compiled by German firm Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and reported by the Associated Press, indicated the U.S. is expanding at a rate of 28 percent per year since 2008.

A year before in 2007, a Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency Opportunities estimated that the nation’s servers and data centers consumed about 61 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2006—making up 1.5 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption—for a total electricity cost of about $4.5 billion. Since then, there has been a great effort leading to the growth cited by the most recent report by Roland. Server lines like HP Proliant, which many companies choose for their server rentalat Vernon Computer Source, have partnered with Energy Star in an effort to offer the most energy efficient servers in the industry.

Denmark still holds the number one spot on the list—long time recognized as a leader in wind energy—reporting 3.1 percent of its gross domestic product ($9.4 billion) as designated from renewable energy technology and energy efficiency.

When it comes to shear numbers, China earned the most from clean energy with 1.4 of its gross domestic product ($64 billion), but in terms of GDP percent, sits at number two. An economist with the WWF told the Associated Press that while the United States is "growing substantially" – something he attributes to the efforts of President Obama, it cannot compete with China.

He further added that China’s success has come from seeing green technology as less of an ideological issue, but rather as a sector that the country can corner—benefitting them economically.

The countries following Demark and China in the top five list of clean technology producers are Germany, Brazil and Lithuania. The rankings were calculated based on percentage of gross domestic product measuring the earnings of the production of biofuels, wind turbines, thermal equipment and other renewables in addition to energy efficiency technology like low-energy lighting and insulation.