The Brazilian government has outlined new measures through a decree to reduce energy consumption by federal agencies amid energy shortages caused by droughts.
Severe droughts in Brazil are impacting the country’s hydroelectricity capacity, which accounts for around 65 per cent of the country’s energy, as its reservoirs dry up. As a result, a new decree has been issued that outlines steps government bodies must take around the reduction of electricity consumption.
The decree states that data centres must keep the rooms cooled only to the limit of what is technically necessary. The decree also states that air conditioning equipment should be dimensioned according to the size of the environment, lighting in places not used must be switched off, electronic equipment including computers, monitors and printers should be set to consume the least amount of electricity possible when not in use after a few minutes.
The government said agencies should provide access to systems directly from the cloud, in order to allow the shutdown of workstations in cases of remote work. The decree also requires agencies to buy the most energy-efficient equipment, follow energy efficiency standards for new or renovated buildings, and perform preventive and predictive maintenance on equipment.
