PG&E will also make it easier for companies to receive money for virtualization projects. Today they have to apply in advance to receive incentive money; next year they will be able to get rebates for virtualization projects they recently completed, he said.

He also encouraged data centers to do "permanent load shifting," where they shift work from peak times, when rates are higher, to off-peak times. Some data centers might be able to run their cooling equipment through the night, for example, and store cold water or ice that can be used to cool equipment during the day.

He has also been working to get state laws revised so that data center hosting companies can meter electricity for their hosting clients. They are unable to do that today because the state considers it reselling electricity, which is illegal, he said.

"I want my [collocation] providers to send a message to their tenants about the cost of their energy, so I'm trying to make that legal," he said.

It is unclear who will pursue those efforts when Bramfitt leaves next month, however. Danny Johnson, director of engineering for collocation provider 365Main, said he will be "sorely missed."