Key energy efficiency issues in today's data centers

I have mentioned that after the energy efficiency problem is resolved, the http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/17815.html "> Renewable Energy" Motion will be implemented. The reason is that energy efficiency is solved and can be sustained to pay itself, and the return on investment (ROI) is measured in weeks or months, not years. In addition, the fact that data centers use less energy as a whole means that fewer renewables are needed to sustain your power supply.

In this column, I will elaborate on the measurement and handling of energy-related issues such as energy efficiency, cooling and water consumption.

Critical areas of review efficiency are you grappling with where to start measuring your energy efficiency? I suggest you look at the following four key areas:

• Cooling: Usually, the lowest hanging water level.

• Water: In view of its scarcity in some areas, do not neglect the use of water. Water and energy-related issues.

Electrical Design: Recent engineering and technological innovations offer new and effective alternatives.

• Rewards: Offsetting energy efficiency improvements or development costs.

Measuring efficiency power supply efficiency (PUE) is the most popular measurement data center energy Efficiency Measurement Index in the industry at present. Today, the data centres appear to have embarked on an "arms race" that seeks to achieve the minimum pue value. Even if your data center does not have the flexibility to operate, you can measure the Pue value of your data center and improve efficiency through the relevant data center site. There are many Pue resources available in industrial cluster and green grid organization.

The latest version of the green cooling technology ASHRAE's TC9.9 has greatly expanded the recommended and allowable temperature and humidity ranges through the approval of major server manufacturers. It is estimated that the temperature of the data center every degree Celsius, can achieve energy saving 2-4%. It seems to improve the temperature of the data center is the most significant, but so far, I have rarely seen the data center to do so.

Another undisputed, easy and inexpensive energy-saving measure is hot or cold channel control. Prevent hot and cold air mixing, bring higher return return temperature, make cooling system efficiency improve. Many systems exist from hard control systems that are difficult to control easily. Limited budget? Hot or cold channel control provides a compelling way to conserve energy.

Free cooling is now an important consideration, both in terms of air and water resources. The new temperature and humidity range, developed by TC9.9, will provide free cooling for most of the year as a new data center to design or expand the location of existing facilities.

Liquid cooling has been widely discussed, and liquid cooling can be more effective than air discharge. This method requires some modification of the server so that it can be submerged by liquid, and current research has shown positive results.

Evaporative cooling is another energy-efficient technology that is especially suitable for dry climates. However, evaporative cooling is often controversial because of the excessive amount of water consumed, especially in areas where water resources are strained.

Water efficiency is another topic that gets more and more attention, and the future will continue to do so. I once heard a futurist say, "Water is a new product." "In assessing evaporation and other cooling technologies, many people, myself included, have made the mistake of assessing that only the right amount of water is used in their respective cooling systems."

To determine the complete water footprint of a system, you must also look at energy use and how much water is consumed during the production process. A study published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analyses how much water is consumed per kilowatt hour of electricity production in one country. Although this analysis is not perfect, it provides an authoritative source of analytical basis. Considering that in a specific geographical environment, evaporation cooling after the use of appropriate amount of water, can be compared to the cooling water system to save a small amount of energy (use of less water).

There are several projects that use seawater or groundwater to cool later, which is very effective because it eliminates the cooling equipment. A data center in Nebraska State is promoting this program, a 1000-gallon irrigation well 52? F as a cold source, groundwater cools and injects water into the aquifer. This is not only very energy efficient, but also uses little water resources or no water cooling, by reducing most of the cooling equipment, saving capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). This is a very efficient energy saving solution for energy and water efficiency and therefore a sustainable thermal solution.

Efficient electrical solutions In recent years, the improvement of the PUE of your data center in electrical equipment has achieved great efficiency. UPS load efficiencies for multiple vendors are 96-98%, not 50%. This is very important if you use a and B to satisfy your device redundancy.

Another trend for UPS is to work in bypass mode, thereby eliminating loss through the battery. Many people are dissatisfied with this mode of operation, but it improves efficiency for the sake of optimal performance. Higher voltage and DC power development trends, improve efficiency, it is worth mentioning.

Energy efficiency incentives and rebates whether it is designing a new, energy efficient data center or upgrading existing facilities, there are many incentives that can be used to help defray costs and increase ROI.

The power companies usually offer incentives based on the performance of your data center compared to benchmarks or benchmark pieces of equipment. The plan includes the power company, which takes economic advantage as much as possible in the design phase. Some equipment that needs to be approved by incentive policies must be ordered in advance.

Additional considerations There are other factors mentioned above that help you optimize the efficiency of your mission-critical facilities.

• System modularity is an accepted practice that affects efficiency. By increasing the utilization of the equipment and realizing the modular and rapid expansion of the design, replacing the full density of the installation usually leads to higher efficiency. This saves capex and opex and is a sensible business decision.

CHP (CHP) has been popularized, and can be as high as 60–80% compared with typical power plant 30%.

• Peak output power can also be stored through heat. This is done by creating ice during the night when the electricity rate is low, using cooling during the day.

measure, improve, monitor, and repeat measures to determine the energy efficiency of your new or existing data center, regardless of the method chosen to ensure that your initial or existing conditions are measured so that you have a baseline. After the improvement, measure again to determine your new situation and your ROI. In the case of a new datacenter, the total cost of ownership (TCO) and analysis of the execution can lead to your decision. You should continue to monitor your productivity and make your initial conditions better match your pue. As a reminder, the results of the measurement are comparable to those in different operating conditions in these industries that may not be available.

Finally, keep in mind that energy efficiency is always more cost-effective than the use of renewable energy in your mission-critical facilities. In my next column, I will focus on USGBC's LEED and EPA energy stars to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Datacenter program.

TechTarget Chinese original content, original link: http://www.searchdatacenter.com.cn/showcontent_63432.htm

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)