In September, Internet giant Google disclosed that it consumed more than 2 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy in 2010. The company also said that it plans to source 35% of its electricity use from clean power by 2012, either through direct purchases or by sourcing from utilities with clean power generation capabilities. Google’s moves toward energy transparency reflect a broader trend among large businesses to cut down on energy use, carbon emissions, and energy costs, particularly through the more efficient management of power use by personal computers, servers, and data centers. According to a recent report from Pike Research, the PC and server power management software market is set to expand nearly fivefold by 2015, saving businesses $18.6 billion and reducing energy use by more than 191 billion kWh.

Much of the power currently consumed in IT operations is wasted, the cleantech market intelligence firm finds. Many PCs are not switched off at night or over weekends, let alone when not being used during the day. Idle servers, meanwhile, continue to consume more than half the power they do when fully utilized.

“Using power management settings on a single PC could save 746 kWh of electricity in just a year,” says senior analyst Eric Woods, “which translates into savings of almost $77. Yet, in 2010, only a little over one-fifth of users employed power management settings effectively.”

Most companies that operate servers and data centers have more pressing concerns than energy use – namely, availability and response times. Add in the complication of virtual server “sprawl” (many different IT functions distributed across many different servers, using virtualization software), and it is hard even to know which tasks servers are actually performing and how much power is being consumed. In recent years, though, the power management software market has developed to include a variety of products with a range of functionality, from user-friendly tools to adjust PC power usage when machines are idle to complex virtualization management software that can, for example, dynamically shift computing loads between physical devices to maximize efficiency. Such tools offer a fast return on investment for companies looking to save costs and reduce emissions. “The degree to which IT is given a greater stake in reducing energy costs will be a significant factor in the development of this market,” adds Woods.

Pike Research’s report, “PC and Server Power Management Software”, examines the global market for PC power management and server power management. The study looks at the factors that are driving the market and those that are holding it back, and provides insights into the market issues and technology developments that are shaping how vendors approach the market now, and how that may change in the future. The report describes the competitive landscape, including vendor profiles and SWOT analyses, as well as revenue forecasts through 2015 for both the PC and server power management software markets. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Pike Research is a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The company’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Smart Grid, Smart Transportation, Smart Industry, and Smart Buildings sectors.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pc-and-server-power-management-software-will-save-businesses-186-billion-by-2015-forecasts-pike-research-2011-10-05