Data centers could face higher taxes under Obama's energy plan

Data centers may be facing additional costs under President Obama's "cap-and-trade" plan to impose higher costs on power generators that don't use clean energy sources. Under the plan, the government would cap overall carbon dioxide emissions and then auction off permits allowing companies to exceed the limits, reports ComputerWorld. Power bills likely would increase if utilities are forced to buy the permits and pass the costs on to customers. That includes data centers. While the details of this proposal have not been unveiled, Obama appears committed to the idea.

"It's a new metric for the data center, and [IT managers] must deal with it," Luke Leung, director of building services engineering at A. Epstein and Sons International Inc., a building design and construction firm in Chicago, told ComputerWorld.

Costs could vary by region, but Leung has run some estimates that show it would place a bigger burden on data centers. A 100,000-square-foot data center could see additional costs of $252,000 per year if emissions permits cost $15 per ton, or $756,000 if they are priced at $45 per ton. That estimate is based on an annual carbon emission of 16,800 tons, says ComputerWorld.

For more about rising energy costs:
- check out this ComputerWorld.com article

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