When it comes to energy, data centers are faced with a serious dilemma. Over the past decade -- and particularly in the past two years -- growing IT demands have forced managers to crowd their expansive data centers and server farms with more and more equipment, driving energy demands through the roof.  

To make matters worse, the heat generated by added processor hardware is forcing companies to expend even more power to keep it cool, a trend that the U.S. Department of Energy  believes will only worsen in the near future.