Where do CIOs turn for help in greening up their data centers? In California, they can go to their local utility, PG&E. It's Mark Bramfitt's job as principal program manager for customer energy efficiency at PG&E to help develop partnerships and incentive programs to get power-sapping server farms to cut down on energy consumption.

The message has changed drastically over the past few years. It's not the hardware or software, nor even the staffing, that will end up costing an arm/leg/first born. It's the power bill. So he feels that his business is uniquely positioned to help out yours -- if you're in CA, of course -- even if it means consorting with the Silicon Valley set.

CIOs are establishing energy-efficiency programs because they have either reached the limits of their existing facilities or they are getting close. Discussing this with Mr. Bramfitt, he noted that "at a cost of over $1,000 per square foot to build a new data center, CIOs are looking at technologies that can add two, five, or even seven years to their existing facilities."

PG&E offers a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services for the high-tech sector to help CIOs with this challenge, including financial incentives for customers pursuing energy-efficiency projects in their data centers. The company is also actively working to identify the next generation of energy-efficient technologies, helping to accelerate the spread of promising new innovations in the market. According to Mr. Bramfitt, "With our proximity to Silicon Valley, we see all the latest technology. Companies are regularly banging on our doors to get added to one of our many efficiency programs."

There's more at GreenerComputing, including a brief mention of MAID, for all you storage enthusiasts.