Some data center doings in today’s roundup.

AOL flips the switch on its “lights out” data center; SmartCube emerges as a low-cost container player in its native Brazil; and is virtualization hamstrung by storage infrastructures? Also, Tesla makes Panasonic the official supplier of batteries for its Model S and GM bets big on recycling.

AOL Launches New ‘Lights Out’ Data Center – Data Center Knowledge
The unmanned data center is part of AOL’s plan to place content closer to users.

Smartcube claims huge price difference over imported containers – DatacenterDynamics
Brazilian company hopes to make a splash with low-priced, high-capacity containers.

Is storage holding back virtualization? – CNET
Storage appliance maker, Tintri, finds that many companies are struggling with storage performance and cost.

Utilities Prepare for Data Deluge: How the Smart Grid Will Change Back Office Operations – Smarter Utility | TMCnet
Big IT challenges await for utilities like PG&E, which will be handling upwards of 170 megabytes of data per smart meter per year.

Tesla to buy Model S battery cells from Panasonic – Earth2Tech | GigaOM
Plans are for 80,000 of the sharp-looking electric sedan over a four-year period.

General Motors Makes the Business Case for Recycling – Triple Pundit
Beyond promoting environmental responsibility, GM is finding that it’s a lucrative business as well.

PC Power Management Market to Boom as Energy Prices Rise – GreenBiz.com
Pike Research estimates that PC and server management software “will save companies $18.6 billion per year by 2015, a nearly five-fold growth.”

University of Maryland takes 2011 Solar Decathlon crown – Gizmag
And a swank-looking, water-saving solar home it is too!

Solar PV rapidly becoming the cheapest option to generate electricity – Grist
Is grid parity right around the corner?

LED bulb wirelessly transmits audio – Discovery
Osram Sylvania’s MusicLites combines LED lighting and wireless audio into a somewhat pricey package.