(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- In its latest initiative to dramatically raise the energy efficiency of data centers in both the short and long term, the global consortium for the advancement of energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems, The Green Grid (www.thegreengrid.org), has released an easily digestible guide to policies affecting the data center industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

According to The Green Grid's Tuesday announcement at the EMEA Technical Forum in London, "The Green Grid Energy Policy Research For Data centers" explains everything organisations need to know about current and forthcoming policies affecting the data center industry in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The report also provides a summary of incentives and voluntary initiatives, along with practical steps for improvement and achievement.

Climate change and fuel security have significantly moved up in the policy agenda at both the European Union and national levels, and as data centers and their energy footprint grows, the industry will be particularly affected by the drive for energy efficiency. In fact, this is one of the key highlights expected to result from the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December.

"The overall finding from the report is that legislation is continuously tightening, and therefore it is advisable to innovate now and seek out opportunities to manage future implications for all data centers across the region," Dell representative and The Green Grid EMEA Technical Work Group chair Vic Smith said in a statement.

Faced with the implications of rising legislation, The Green Grid's guide provides recommendations on how to best achieve these and prepare for future initiatives. For instance, it recommends that all stakeholders prepare for and manage risks associated with the UK's Carbon Reduction Commitment. Data center operators should proactively measure and report their energy consumption and drive continuous improvements in hardware, software, and building services. And data center operators should make full use of available energy efficiency incentives, such as tax reductions and capital allowances.

Future legislation will have far reaching implications for data center operators, according to The Green Grid. Revisions to Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will force new buildings to have zero net energy consumption (or "zero energy") by the end of 2018, and member states will set minimum percentages for a share of existing buildings to be energy neutral in 2015 and 2020.

The forthcoming UK carbon trading laws (under its Carbon Reduction Commitment to cut 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050) will establish a new carbon trading market from April 2010, which could present the most significant financial risk to the data center sector as daily penalties will be enforced for non-compliance. The whitepaper covers some indicative models of how the legislation would affect data centers of different sizes.

The Green Grid will be discussing the new guide in Paris on Thursday, October 22, at its latest EMEA Technical Forum since last week's events in Frankfurt, Germany and Amsterdam.

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