Data centers explore novel ways to cut energy use

operate, Mitchell said.

Another case study looked at air-side economizing, which is "basically just a fancy name for opening the windows" and using outside air for cooling, Bapat said. The air must be filtered and de-humidified, but in cooler climates like San Francisco it can be used for most of the year, he said.

Dean Nelson of Sun said data centers should consider raising their overall temperatures. Sun tested modular cooling systems on five-year-old servers and they operated without any problems even when aisle temperatures reached 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

"It makes me wonder," he said, "why are we running our cold aisles at 65 degrees?"

Accenture is publishing the resultsfrom the case studies on its Web site, along with an overview that compares their effectiveness.