Another energy efficiency technique data centers use is better containment for hot air, according
to Jason Yaeger, Director of Operations for Online Tech, which operates a couple of small
collocation data center facilities in Michigan. Among the facilities’ clients are a couple of
telecom resellers.
Keeping hot and cold air separate is a long-standing practice. Data centers seek to eliminate the
hot air as quickly as possible so they don’t have to re-cool it. But historically, there had been too
much air flow between the hot and cold air aisles, according to Yaeger. So Online Tech sealed
unused panels in the data center racks and installed barriers on top of the racks to help prevent
any warm air leaking back into the cold air area.
A similar temperature containment strategy was employed in Comarch’s design for a new
data center in Lille, France, the company plans to open by the end of the year. The facility will
include a system to pump water directly into the raw exchangers inside the boxes and transform
chilled water into cold air to cool the racks.
Similarly, HP’s Wynyard, UK facility which opened in February 2010, leverages the cold
climate in the North East of England for cooling IT equipment and plant rooms. A large quantity
of fresh air is supplied by fans and filtered, reducing the energy required for cooling by 40
percent compared to conventional data centers. The building also features an energy-efficient
and sustainable design that incorporates recycled materials as well as harvested rainwater.
So-called natural air cooling is also more prevalent in the U.S., a phenomenon driven by growing
energy needs and recognition that data centers can run at warmer temperatures than once was
thought to be prudent. Improved filtering and monitoring of filtering systems helps to ensure
exterior particulate matter doesn’t damage internal systems. However, enclosed data centers still
provide better protection against the outside contaminants.
Renewable Resources
Data centers are using a variety of renewable resources in an attempt to be greener. But in most
instances, even the most aggressive of those efforts result in only about a 10 percent reduction in
energy needed from other sources:
- Emerson Electric has solar panels covering “every square inch” of its St. Louis, Mo. data center. But, the solar energy represents only 13 percent of the facility’s power needs.
- Under an agreement with SunPower, HP will install its first-ever, large-scale power installation at its San Diego facility. Once completed, it will transform sun into 1. MW hours of electricity – which is enough to provide more than 10 percent of the facility’s energy, which the company estimates will save approximately $750,000 in energy costs during the next 15 years. “As solar technology becomes more advanced, it will be a more viable source of power for data centers,” said HP’s Cosick.
- ACT, providers of the well-known college entrance exam, employs a geothermal system that helps cool the firm’s 10,000-square foot facility in Iowa City, saving about 30 percent on total power needs.
Use of renewable resources is largely geography dependent. While facilities in the Midwest can
get some benefits from wind and solar, geothermal and hydroelectric sources are more abundant
in other parts of the world.
In Iceland, Verne Global receives all of the power for its data center from hydro electric
and geothermal sources. The facility was far enough away that it wasn’t affected by the
Eyjafjallajökull volcano in the spring of 2010.
The greening effort of data centers will continue to expand as usage and power demands
continue to increase.
