Under a new program being offered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) targeting data centers and industrial customers, qualified applicants can receive a grant for up $5 million for energy efficiency and productivity measures. The grant, called the “2010 NYS Data Center Energy Efficiency Leadership Award,” will be awarded based on projected energy savings at a rate of 16¢ per KWH for facilities located in Con Edison territory and 12¢ per KWH for facilities located in the rest of the state.

In order to be considered, projects must meet a $10,000 minimum incentive (62,500 KWH for Con Ed and 83,333 KWH or more for the rest of the state), and no award shall be given for more than half the total project cost. NYSERDA has indicated it will pay 60 percent of the award upon installation and the rest after the project has been verified through a Measurement and Verification plan of up to two years, developed in collaboration with the applicant.

Eligible projects for data centers could include, but are not limited to:

• improved air-flow management
• applications management strategies
• virtualization

For more information regarding the program please contact us or visit nyserda.org.