Symantec, a long-time security and utilities vendor, has begun targeting Green IT in a public way. In a conference call this week, Symantec showed how Renault F1 has begun to green its data center, using Symantec technology among others, of course.

In the conference call, Symantec cited several reports showing the depth of the problem, including that for every dollar spent on hardware, 50 cents will be spent on power and cooling, and that energy expenses in the data center will double in a year.

Renault F1 then spoke about ways it is greening data centers, including using more efficient APC infrastructure, which proved to be 25% more energy-efficient than the old forced-air method. The company also used Symantec Cluster for consolidating servers.

The fact that Symantec is so publicly targeting Green IT is good for IT pros and CIOs. It means more technology and more competition, which ultimately means more choices for those who want to green their data centers.