Every single day, it seems, we hear about another great innovation and another step in the right direction for our “data centers of the future.” CyrusOne has standardized on indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) systems to take advantage of free air cooling without the risks of introducing contamination into the IT spaces. Apple and EBay have installed fuel cells, and NetApp and Qualcomm and many others operate natural gas engines all to reduce reliance on the grid and to take advantage of abundant our natural gas resources. Microsoft is developing microsites that will operate in remote locations powered with bio-gas fuels derived from local waste water treatment plants and solid waste management sites. And many of the data centers powered by onsite generators as the primary and secondary source of power require no backup power like UPS, batteries, and diesel generators.