Renewable energy in data centers

With the http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/39796.html "> Energy prices Rising and the carbon footprint problem getting worse, it's time to look at the 17815.html" > Renewable Energy for the data center.

Data center power often means connecting the main power supply to the State grid and preparing the uninterruptible power supply and auxiliary generator. Environmental-conscious data centers are designed to include more energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy power systems. But other alternative energy options, such as hydro, solar panels, and wind turbines, need to rely on geographic or intermittent energy production to balance energy consumption. A better approach would be to combine alternative energy with material battery energy.

Advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy in data center

For companies that can build data centers anywhere they want, hydropower is a major alternative to renewable energy. Google has built one of its own data in Oregon State to get cheap hydroelectric power from The Dalles Dam. For such a large consumer of Google, can be negotiated to obtain a good energy agreement, but also to add a lot of environmental protection points. Advania in Iceland's Thor data Center uses hydro-thermal power and free air cooling to control energy use and reduce its carbon footprint.

Some data centers have begun to use solar energy to provide the necessary resources for some facilities. Apple's data center in Maiden,north Carolina uses a large solar array of fuel cell systems to provide 60% of its energy. Apple is working with NC greenpower, a renewable energy company, to provide the remaining 40% of renewable energy, such as wind power. As with most renewable energy sources, there are other problems with solar energy, which can only provide electricity during the day and, if exposed to any degree of cloud coverage, will seriously degrade the effect.

The problem with these renewables is that they depend on location. Do not attempt to implement thermal and hydroelectric power in a flat country such as the Netherlands. Solar photovoltaic power generation needs to be deployed in the most effective "sunshine zone", near the equatorial region, the sunshine is predictable, with sufficient time and strength. If the company data center is closer to this area, consider using this renewable energy.

Ecological Hosting ' Smartbunker is Britain's first 100% wind power facility. According to Ecotricity, its standby facilities are the latest generation of uninterruptible power supplies and biodiesel-assisted generators. However, the predictability of wind power is lower than that of solar energy, which makes it the least usable energy in the competition of data center. Not only is it dependent on the wind strength, it is also difficult to predict, and it is not possible to determine where winds and intensities are available, and the wind strength must be within a certain range that the turbine can withstand. Too low, the efficiency of power generation is low. Too high, the brakes may be activated to prevent damage to the rotors and bearings.

Without energy storage systems, solar and wind power must be powered by other sources to provide continuous backup. However, these renewable resources can still play a role as two energy sources that support the needs of small-scale sites. A major, renewable energy source that does not depend on resource changes, such as sunlight or wind strength, is not easy to find. Still, rethinking how the datacenter uses energy can have a more profound impact on overall energy consumption.

Renewable energy Resources Worth considering

The energy consumption within the datacenter is generally very effective. As virtualization and cloud computing grow, the overall energy efficiency of the datacenter will improve. The most serious phase of energy waste is when it comes to making energy.

Whether coal, gas or fuel supplies energy to the data centers, a large amount of energy loss occurs during the production phase. Most fossil fuel systems are also located far from the urban areas. More advanced, smaller energy-producing equipment could improve the situation. High-temperature fuel cells use a range of hydrocarbon fuels to decompose them into hydrogen and then get oxygen from the air to create electricity and generate heat and moisture.

The key is to capture as much output as possible. The heat generated by the fuel cell can be used to provide heat to the cold space, or even to heat the water. The clean water produced by cell phone fuel cells can help ease water shortages in data centers in water-deficient areas. Renewable resources such as solar and wind energy can also be used for electrolysis of water to make hydrogen for fuel cells. Then it is possible to build a truly renewable continuous data center main power supply system. This method is not necessarily the cheapest way to make electricity, compared to the way that money can be obtained, but it does have an effective means of powering the data center for a long time.