Power & Cooling

Identifying and evaluating the real embodied carbon cost of a data centre

By Ed Ansett, Founder and Chairman of i3 Solutions Group Global emissions from new-build projects are at record levels. Consequently, construction is moving further away from, not closer to, net zero buildings. With the current focusing very much on the carbon footprint of facility operations, a new white paper presents the case for taking a ‘Whole Life Carbon’ approach when assessing the data centre carbon impact. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the carbon cost of building is rising. The UNEP Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) global status report highlighted two concerning trends: firstly, that ‘CO2 emissions from the building sector are the highest ever recorded…’ and, secondly, ‘new GlobalABC tracker finds the sector is losing momentum toward decarbonisation.’ Embodied carbon costs are mainly incurred at the construction stage of any building project. However, these costs can go further than simply the carbon price of materials - including concrete and steel - and their use. And while it is true that not all buildings are the same in embodied carbon terms, in almost all cases these emissions (created at the beginning of the building lifecycle) simply cannot be reduced over time. Since this is often, and in some cases, especially true in data centres, it is incumbent to consider the best ways for the sector to identify, consider and evaluate the real embodied carbon cost of infrastructure-dense and energy-intensive buildings. Technical environments and energy-intensive buildings such as data centres differ greatly from other forms of commercial real estate, such as offices, warehouses and retail developments. Focusing on the data centre, let’s take for example a new build 50MW facility. It is clear that in order to meet its design objective it’s going to require a great deal more power and cooling infrastructure plant and equipment to function in comparison with other forms of buildings. Embodied carbon in data centres Embodied carbon in a data centre comprises all those emissions not attributed to operations, as well as the use of energy and water in its day to day running. It’s a long list which includes emissions associated with resource extraction, manufacturing, and transportation, as well as those created during the installation of materials and components used to construct the built environment. Embodied carbon also includes the lifecycle emissions from the ongoing use of all of the above, from maintenance, repair and replacements to end-of-life activities such as deconstruction and demolition, transportation, waste processing and disposal. These lifecycle emissions must be considered when accounting for the total carbon cost. The complexity of mission critical facilities makes it more important than ever to have a comprehensive process to consider and address all sources of embodied carbon emissions early in design and equipment procurement. Only by early and detailed assessment can operators inform on the best actions which can contribute to immediate embodied carbon reductions. Calculating whole life carbon Boundaries to measure the embodied carbon and emissions of a building at different points in the construction and operating lifecycle are Cradle to Gate; Cradle to Site; Cradle to Use and Cradle to Grave carbon calculations, where ‘cradle’ is referenced as the earth or ground from which raw materials are extracted. For data centres, these higher levels of infrastructure are equipment-related, additional, and important considerations because in embodied carbon terms they will be categorised under Scope three of the GHG Protocol Standards - also referred to as Value-Chain emissions. Much of the Scope three emissions will be produced by upstream activities that include and cover materials for construction. However, especially important for data centres, is that they also include the carbon cost for ongoing maintenance and replacement of the facility plant and equipment. That brings us to whole of life calculations which will combine embodied and operational carbon. Combining embodied and operational emissions to analyse the entire lifecycle of a building throughout its useful life and beyond is the Whole Life Carbon approach. It ensures that the embodied carbon (CO2 emissions) together with embodied carbon of materials, components and construction activities are calculated and available to allow comparisons between different design and construction approaches. Data centre sustainability is more than simply operational efficiency The great efforts to improve efficiency and reduce energy use - as measured through improvements in PUE - have slowed operational carbon emissions even as demand and the scale of facilities has surged. But reducing operational energy of the facility is measured over time and such reductions are not accounted for until five, 10 or 30 years into the future. However, embodied carbon is mostly spent up-front as the building is constructed; there is, therefore a compelling reason to include embodied carbon within all analyses and data centre design decisions. A ‘Whole Life’ carbon approach that considers both embodied and the operational emissions, provides the opportunity to contribute positively to global goals to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases - and will save financial costs.

Delivering a resilient and sustainable electricity supply to data centres

By Antony White, Client Delivery Manager, UK Power Networks Services As the UK’s data centre market continues to grow and mature, forecasters are predicting 36% revenue growth, and 29% power uplift in power demand by the end of 2025. While this may not be the growth of smaller European markets, the increase in the UK is still significant. That means the challenge for the UK’s electrical infrastructure to meet the significant power demand of a data centre, with a truly resilient supply, remains. Sustainability pressures add complexity for data centres, who should seek alternative energy from renewable sources and invest in new energy technologies, including on site renewable generation and battery storage. Meeting capacity requirements with a high-quality network connection Data centres need to be connected to the local high-voltage electricity network - generally the 132kV network - which requires complex electrical infrastructure solutions, combined with experienced asset management. In most cases, connections also need to be fed from at least two sources to maintain supply in the event of power interruptions on the local network. Many of the UK’s data centres are located in the south-east of England, where there has historically been relatively easy access to high-voltage energy infrastructure from existing networks. Having enough capacity on the local electricity network to support the day-to-day running requirements and other energy-intensive requirements, such as air-conditioning and cooling, is a key factor in data centre location. Other important factors include having enough physical space and nearby connectivity to data networks and other utilities. UK Power Networks Services understands the requirements for these connections and the time and expertise needed to design and build them. Current supply chain headaches can result in long lead times for equipment, and detailed knowledge of the market, equipment required, and experience in high-voltage design and build connections projects is essential for any data centre project. Due to global supply, equipment, such as 132kV switchboards and transformers, can take anywhere between 12 to 18 months to purchase once a detailed design is agreed. The challenge for new data centres is to understand exactly what equipment will be needed to fulfil the capacity requirements of a site, knowing the market and what is currently available, then engaging in procurement activities early to meet the project’s timeline. Maintaining a resilient energy supply Customers of data centres also need assurance that their connectivity will be available 24/7. There must never be the risk of speed issues or service interruptions, let alone a prolonged impact to service. Maintaining a resilient energy supply is therefore crucial. While ensuring an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) to a data centre is achieved from multiple sources, power outages caused by equipment failure are not out of the realm of possibility. Local backup generators may be able to keep some operations running, however, the demand of a sizeable data centre is usually too great for this to be a viable option especially where sustainability and low carbon requirements prevent the use of diesel back up. This is where UK Power Networks Services' experience and expertise as an independent connections provider is key. Data centres need a connections partner that understands the local electricity network, can design a fit-for-purpose connection, is experienced with high voltage engineering, understands the equipment required and has experience in equipment selection and knowledge of the market and what is available. Resilience is not just down to high-quality equipment and the expertise in design and build projects. Managing electrical assets is a specialist subject that works best with a long-term perspective. Data centres need to know when to replace equipment to optimise performance, what technological innovations to integrate, and how and when to dispose of obsolete equipment. The ongoing operations and maintenance and asset management of that equipment will be required to keep the electricity infrastructure operating effectively and continually in service. Powering data centres sustainably As electricity demand for data centres is very high, there is pressure to ensure they are powered as sustainably as possible. To satisfy local planning and social responsibility, the first step should be to ensure the power purchased is from green energy sources. There are other ways data centres can increase their sustainability credentials while also reducing the impact of rising energy costs of sourcing all power supplies through the market. Renewable generation opportunities are available due to the large footprint that data centres occupy. These large areas may make solar PV viable – whether on the roof of buildings or in the surrounding land. Some sites may even have space for wind generation. Other opportunities are emerging as technology advances, such as providing electric vehicle charging on site for staff and visitors or integrating battery storage into the local network. Battery storage could be used as an alternative to diesel backup generation and, as technology develops, may play a bigger part in managing the every-increasing demand of the data centre. Making your project a reality When choosing a partner to power a data centre, considerations must include extensive high voltage experience, a track record of safety, equipment procurement experience, a full end-to-end solution encompassing design, build, operations and maintenance. UK Power Networks Services has this experience and can also provide capital finance options.

Kohler HVO fuel capabilities provide data centre customers with a pathway to zero carbon

Kohler Power Systems has announced that its entire offering of mission-critical diesel generators is compatible with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), marking a significant breakthrough in the usage of alternative fuels in backup power. No adaptations to the installed generators are required, allowing for the immediate rollout of renewable fuel to customers seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. “At Kohler, we have already made great strides in making our generators inherently more efficient, reducing emissions regardless of the fuel used,” says James Zhang, President, Kohler Power Systems. “Now with HVO, we have taken a massive leap forward in our sustainability journey by greatly reducing the carbon footprint of our diesel products.” This next-generation renewable fuel has all the advantages of a sustainable fuel source, with none of the disadvantages of first-generation biodiesels. While first-generation solutions had a limited storage life of just six months, HVO is highly stable, with no sensitivity to oxidation, so it can be stored long-term. It is also 90% carbon neutral and sourced entirely from waste products – making it part of a circular economy. The similarity in HVO and fossil diesel characteristics further smooths the shift to biofuel because the two fuels can be mixed directly in the tank without issue. Therefore, it can be used immediately as the sole fuel supply for all Kohler diesel generators, such as the KD-Series, whether they are brand new or previously installed and in operation. In Europe, data centre operators are working hard to reduce emissions on their road to a zero carbon future. The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, an industry body, has submitted a 'Self-Regulatory Initiative Proposal' to the European Union, while initiatives such as Carbon Aware Computing are encouraging the shift to cleaner data centres. “Customers can continue to rely on Kohler for their backup power needs, and now with a greater commitment to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint, while not compromising on performance. The HVO fuel option supports Kohler’s commitment to our Better Planet strategy within the Believing in Better operating philosophy that focuses on overarching environmental goals,” James adds.

Uptime Institute finds downtime consequences worsening as efforts to curb outage frequency fall short

The digital infrastructure sector is struggling to achieve a measurable reduction in outage rates and severity, and the financial consequences and overall disruption from outages are steadily increasing, according to Uptime Institute, which today released the findings of its 2022 annual Outage Analysis report. “Digital infrastructure operators are still struggling to meet the high standards that customers expect and service level agreements demand – despite improving technologies and the industry’s strong investment in resiliency and downtime prevention,” says Andy Lawrence, Founding Member and Executive Director, Uptime Institute Intelligence. “The lack of improvement in overall outage rates is partly the result of the immensity of recent investment in digital infrastructure, and all the associated complexity that operators face as they transition to hybrid, distributed architectures,” comments Lawrence. “In time, both the technology and operational practices will improve, but at present, outages remain a top concern for customers, investors, and regulators. Operators will be best able to meet the challenge with rigorous staff training and operational procedures to mitigate the human error behind many of these failures.” Uptime’s annual outage analysis is unique in the industry, and draws on multiple surveys, information supplied by Uptime Institute members and partners, and its database of publicly reported outages. Key Findings Include: • High outage rates haven’t changed significantly. One in five organisations report experiencing a ‘serious’ or ‘severe’ outage (involving significant financial losses, reputational damage, compliance breaches and in some severe cases, loss of life) in the past three years, marking a slight upward trend in the prevalence of major outages. According to Uptime’s 2022 Data Centre Resiliency Survey, 80% of data centre managers and operators have experienced some type of outage in the past three years – a marginal increase over the norm, which has fluctuated between 70% and 80%. • The proportion of outages costing over $100,000 has soared in recent years. Over 60% of failures result in at least $100,000 in total losses, up substantially from 39% in 2019. The share of outages that cost upwards of $1 million increased from 11% to 15% over that same period. • Power-related problems continue to dog data centre operators. Power-related outages account for 43% of outages that are classified as significant (causing downtime and financial loss). The single biggest cause of power incidents is uninterruptible power supply (UPS) failures. • Networking issues are causing a large portion of IT outages. According to Uptime’s 2022 Data Centre Resiliency Survey, networking-related problems have been the single biggest cause of all IT service downtime incidents – regardless of severity – over the past three years. Outages attributed to software, network and systems issues are on the rise due to complexities from the increasing use of cloud technologies, software-defined architectures and hybrid, distributed architectures. • The overwhelming majority of human error-related outages involve ignored or inadequate procedures. Nearly 40% of organisations have suffered a major outage caused by human error over the past three years. 85% of these incidents stem from staff failing to follow procedures or from flaws in the processes and procedures themselves. • External IT providers cause most major public outages. The more workloads that are outsourced to external providers, the more these operators account for high-profile, public outages. Third-party, commercial IT operators (including cloud, hosting, colocation, telecommunication providers, etc.) account for 63% of all publicly reported outages that Uptime has tracked since 2016. In 2021, commercial operators caused 70% of all outages. • Prolonged downtime is becoming more common in publicly reported outages. The gap between the beginning of a major public outage and full recovery has stretched significantly over the last five years. Nearly 30% of these outages in 2021 lasted more than 24 hours, a disturbing increase from just 8% in 2017. • Public outage trends suggest there will be at least 20 serious, high-profile IT outages worldwide each year. Of the 108 publicly reported outages in 2021, 27 were serious or severe. This ratio has been consistent since the Uptime Intelligence team began cataloguing major outages in 2016, indicating that roughly one-fourth of publicly recorded outages each year are likely to be serious or severe.

Schneider Electric drives sustainability with Uniflair cooling innovation

Schneider Electric has announced its new range of Uniflair Chillers with inverter screw compressors for large data centres, which provide the efficiency, precision, and configurability to adapt to current and future data centre cooling challenges. The air-cooled and free cooling extra-large chillers provide increased cooling capacity and lower power consumption for high energy efficiency in all environmental conditions. Uniflair Chillers with screw compressors are within the first solutions to leverage low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. “The latest Uniflair Chiller air cooler is designed end-to-end with sustainability in mind and provides enterprises with outstanding energy efficiencies and reliability, even in challenging conditions. With the use of green refrigerants, combined with decreased power consumption, this offering emphasises Schneider’s dedication to purposeful innovation and sustainability while empowering customers with forward-looking adaptability.” says Pankaj Pathak, Director Cooling, Secure Power, Schneider Electric. Data centre cooling innovation advances sustainability and resiliency missions Schneider’s latest 300-2200kW Uniflair Chillers introduce major improvements to high efficiency and reliable cooling for data centre applications and enhance the current platform with new sizes and configurations. The chillers: Offer modular configuration and are packaged to simplify and accelerate site deployment and design.Integrate a free-cooling system that leverages outdoor air to provide cooling, minimising energy consumption without impacting unit size.Minimise annual energy usage, improving TCO.Achieve +2MW with high water temperature, increasing unit cooling capacity in a reduced footprint. Furthering sustainability action with iMason’s Climate Accord In addition to driving data centre sustainability through innovation, Schneider Electric reinforced its commitment to industry collaboration as a founding coalition member in the Infrastructure Masons Climate Accord. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) has assembled a historic cooperative of over 50 companies, including AWS, Microsoft and Google, to reduce carbon in digital infrastructure materials, products, and power. The mission of this accord is to standardise global carbon accounting of digital infrastructure, influencing market-based decisions to drive the industry to achieve carbon neutrality.

PowerExchanger integrates renewables and stabilises the grid

With more intermittent renewable energy generation on the world’s power networks, and fossil fuel supplies experiencing major disruptions, distributed power reserves are becoming increasingly important in order to maintain grid stability and keep the power on 24/7. To support this transition, ABB is launching PowerExchanger, a feature for its UPS products, which allows battery reserves to provide ancillary services to the grid, reducing costly downtime and cutting energy and operating costs. UPS equipment is used to provide back-up power in the case of a grid supply failure, and can also eliminate brownouts, over-voltages, and electrical noise. The UPS’ back-up power is drawn from its energy storage capacity, which often goes unused. With PowerExchanger fitted to new or existing ABB UPS systems, these batteries can be used to help the grid respond quickly to unexpected imbalances between power generation and demand to reduce costly outages. By using PowerExchanger to join markets for grid ancillary services, for example Fast Frequency Response (FRF), operators can now generate a new revenue stream, which lowers the cost of operating this capital-intensive equipment. Ideal for low and medium voltage data centres, PowerExchanger ensures a minimum energy reserve is retained by the UPS battery, so in the event of a complete grid outage, the critical load will always be protected. PowerExchanger can also deliver additional financial and performance benefits, thanks to peak shaving. When peak-time energy comes at a premium, PowerExchanger enables on-site UPS energy reserves to cover consumption peaks and keep costs low. “Against the global backdrop of rising energy prices and supply uncertainty, our customers are under increasing pressure to optimise the use of installed assets and improve efficiencies – all while supporting the transition to renewable energy,” says Paolo Catapane, UPS Product Manager for ABB. “A powerful way to do this is to harness the untapped potential of the energy storage held within a UPS, which is what our new PowerExchanger can do. It provides demand response functionality, helping to stabilise the grid while generating a healthy revenue for operators and lowering operating costs, making it ideal for use in mission critical facilities such as data centres.”

Critical cooling specialists launch Cloud Diagnostics

Airedale has launched Cloud Diagnostics, an advanced HVAC performance management tool available on your phone, tablet or laptop, in response to the pressure operators and facility managers are under when working with cooling equipment that is increasingly critical to business operations. Airedale has worked with data science experts to develop a new family of cloud-enabled products which can be installed in new and existing equipment like air handling units, chillers and precision air conditioners, allowing them to be connected, monitored and analysed via a secured communication channel to the Airedale Cloud Diagnostics servers. Cloud Diagnostics has been developed to be retrofitted with no disruption to service and offers several key benefits that can really lift the pressure off people tasked with keeping HVAC systems running safely and efficiently. Leak detection An emerging feature of the predictive maintenance ability of Cloud Diagnostics is a leak detection algorithm. By being able to recognise the operational features and patterns that signal a leak, detection can occur at very low levels, saving a client significant costs and environmental damage. Most leaks are detected today at around 20%, which is when a drop in performance becomes more obvious to facilities personnel, but in tests Airedale Cloud Diagnostics was able to report a suspected leak at 5%. This early detection has huge implications not only on cost savings, but also safety and environmental targets Live dashboard The information gathered by Cloud Diagnostics is reported on a live dashboard, which is available on any internet-connected device, and alerts can be delivered immediately via SMS or email. This allows for any issues to be recognized early and responded to immediately, avoiding disruption and expensive call outs. Data aggregation can be configured to report the latest data received as well as extracting KPIs for a comprehensive visual analysis of the unit’s performance. (e.g. chiller average supply water temperature for last 7 rolling days). Predictive maintenance Predictive maintenance is the key to optimising asset management for any critical equipment. HVAC units connected to Cloud Diagnostics are analysed for performance, utilising many algorithms and machine learning techniques, whereby the unit's performance is measured on a variety of relevant factors which are all analysed for deviations against ‘normalised’ behaviour, both instantaneously and over time as well. If a drop in performance against operating conditions is detected, this will act as an early warning system for the customer/maintenance team to investigate further. Being able to identify threats and faults in advance of them happening has a huge cost saving benefit, both in terms of emergency repairs, call out fees and downtime costs to the business. Security Airedale’s products are part of the critical infrastructure of a building or a data centre and therefore it is imperative that they are secured both from physical and network access. Airedale Cloud Diagnostics has been designed with security in mind, utilising the latest technology and security practices. Access to the Airedale Cloud Diagnostics portal is via a web-based portal with valid SSL certificate, using the same technology as internet banking and other secure portals. Reece Thomas, Controls product manager for Airedale says, “Airedale Cloud Diagnostics is something I am incredibly excited about, given the huge cost and environmental benefits it can offer our clients. All that is required to connect a piece of equipment to the service is a gateway into the unit for the system to collect and transfer data, some form of internet connection and a 24Vdc power supply.” Reece continues, “The ability for connected units to be able to learn from and compare against each other utilising intelligent unit modelling means that the performance analysis techniques continually improve and get stronger over time, making things like leak detection a much simpler and more efficient process” Reece concludes, “Another benefit of sharing data anonymously is that Airedale can use the data collected to analyse and determine how to better improve our products based on actual customer usage profiles. The benefits to this are endless and our clients can be absolutely assured of security and anonymity.”

The hidden cost of data

Data underpins every aspect of modern life, with more information generated now than ever before. Keeping data centres cool is crucial for their safe and effective function, but due to the large amounts of waste heat they generate, this requires significant power consumption. To tackle this issue, Katrick Technologies has developed and patented a unique passive cooling system that removes waste heat without external power required. Here, Katrick Co-CEO Vijay Madlani examines the costs of data centre cooling and how new systems can revolutionise efficiency. We generate more data than ever before, with 44 zettabytes of data in storage as of 2020 and this expected to increase to over 200 zettabytes by 2025. To put this into perspective, a single zettabyte is equivalent to one trillion gigabytes. Much of this data is stored in data centres; dedicated facilities containing servers to store large amounts of data. Data centres are an integral part of the global economy, storing everything from our personal information to business and infrastructure data. With the nature of data stored in these centres, and the extreme sensitivity of some content, they require their own infrastructure, security, networks, and backup power supplies to limit the damage of potential problems. Environmental conditions are also highly important to ensure function and keeping data centres at an appropriate temperature round the clock can prevent overheating and failure of critical equipment, especially as they produce large amounts of heat as a by-product. In the UK there are approximately 400-450 data centre facilities, and TechUK estimates they consume 6TWh annually to run, not including the 3-4TWh required for server rooms. This figure is set to rise exponentially as the number of data centres increases, with a 2018 Nature study estimating that they will be responsible for 8,000 TWh of consumption by 2030. Keeping data centres cool uses a significant amount of this energy, with air conditioning and handler units used by 90% of the UK data centre market estimated to use 26 to 41% of the total energy consumed. These figures highlight why it is so crucial to find more efficient solutions for data centres. As the need for these facilities increases, the amount of power required to run them while minimising the risk of failures will also rise. This is the motivation behind the Katrick Technologies passive cooling system. Solutions in technology Katrick’s bespoke end-to-end solution removes excess heat without the need for any external power, keeping centres at a constant ideal temperature and reducing energy consumption. The patented technology offers an innovative zero-carbon alternative to traditional cooling units, while being cost effective and kinder to the environment. The passive cooling system uses a Thermal Vibration Bell (TVB) heat engine to maintain consistent cool temperatures in a data centre environment. The TVB has a chamber containing bi-fluids of different densities and expansion rates. The base fluid is high-density with a lower boiling point, and the fluid above is lower-density  but with a higher boiling point. When these fluids are exposed to a heat source, a dynamic movement is created as the lower fluid boils more rapidly, creating bubbles which move through the fluid above. This converts heat energy into fluid vibrations. These vibrations are then captured by an array of fins in the TVB, which protrude both internally and externally. This occurs through a range of different effects, including density change, bubble velocity, and the generation of convection currents within the fluids as they interact with variable temperature levels. The energy from the fluid vibrations is captured by the fins and transferred to mechanical vibrations, causing the fins to oscillate. This movement dissipates the unwanted heat in the environment, providing cool temperatures to allow the servers to work and avoiding overheating. The novel technology has been trialled at iomart’s data centre in Glasgow as of October 2021, where a 120kW capacity TVB system was installed. Initial results from this trial indicate that implementing Katrick’s TVB engine can reduce power consumption by the site’s cooling system by up to 50% and may even reduce a data centre’s total energy consumption by 25% overall. Alongside the benefits of energy efficiency and sustainability, the bi-fluids used within the passive cooling system have been certified 100% environmentally safe, with next to zero global warming potential and zero ozone depleting potential. They also pose no fire risks or health hazards, allowing employees to safely work with the system with no potential negative consequences to health or fire safety. Katrick’s technology offers a cost-effective solution that is straightforward to implement and maintain long term. The system is designed to be modular and scalable, tailored to the end-user based on their specific requirements and the size of their facility. The reduced requirements for chillers will also lead to reduced maintenance, prolonging the overall life of the site. The energy produced by the system can even be re-routed to additional server capacity with limited supply, making it a profitable option to increase revenue and margin overall. Katrick Technologies’ passive cooling system represents an opportunity for businesses to run data centre’s more efficiently and sustainably. As an industry that is growing and evolving, it is becoming increasingly complex to meet the requirements for powering, running, and securing these centres. Having systems in place to ensure that data centres can be an effective and reliable platform to store vast amounts of often personal and confidential data is now vital and developing and investing in new technologies to enable this is crucial.

Delta to expand presence through partnership with DATABOX - Informática

Delta has announced a new partnership with DATABOX - Informática to provide Delta’s wide range of energy-efficient Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and Data Centre Infrastructure Solutions to IT resellers and system integrators throughout Portugal. By leveraging their close collaboration as well as Delta’s core competencies in energy-efficient ICT infrastructure and DATABOX – Informática’s deep expertise in the local market, this partnership is expected to meet the demanding requirements for edge computing in Portugal. Commenting on the partnership with Delta, João Pedro Reis, CEO of DATABOX - Informática states: “Delta’s smart energy-efficient solutions are world-renowned for their energy savings and reliability which, combined with the company’s commitment to sustainability, means that we are proud to partner with such an established and recognised brand that complements our values, products and services. By working closely with Delta, we will be able to help our IT resellers and system integrators to deliver highly reliable UPS and data centre solutions to their customers.” Jaime Palma, channel manager of Mission Critical Infrastructure Solutions (MCIS) in Portugal for the Delta Electronics EMEA region, adds: “DATABOX – Informática is a well-established national IT distributor which has an excellent reputation and long-lasting relationships with its suppliers and customers. Its superior local stockholding, sales force and customer capabilities, combined with Delta’s highly quality products, can offer IT resellers and system integrators the ideal solution for their needs. Delta looks forward to expanding the relationship into other Delta portfolio solutions to help Portuguese corporations enhance their competitive edge through higher energy efficiency and higher productivity.” The award-winning UPSs designed by Delta act as advanced power managers, ensuring the availability of an uninterrupted power supply to protect hardware and mission critical applications. High-quality UPSs function as an essential safeguard against many potential energy issues, including voltage surges and spikes, voltage sags, total power failure, and frequency differences. With the rise of edge computing, Delta also offers its InfraSuite Datacenter Infrastructure Solutions to support its customers in building an optimal data centre with fully-integrated infrastructure solutions.

Smart technology to address the data centre energy drain

In this piece, we spoke to Matthew Margetts, Director at Smarter Technologies to find out why data centres require so much energy, and find out what can be done to reduce this consumption, while retaining our data centres. Inside vast factories bigger than aircraft carriers, tens of thousands of circuit boards are racked row upon row. They stretch down windowless halls so long that staff ride through the corridors on scooters. In an increasingly digitalised world, data centres are the information backbone, with demand continuing to grow along with data-intensive technologies. Estimated to account for as much as 1% of worldwide electricity use, data centres are energy-intensive enterprises.   In Ireland, data centres could account for about 25% of the country’s electricity usage by 2030, potentially leading to electricity supply challenges. Fearing the pressure data centres place on the national grid, countries such as the Netherlands and Singapore have gone so far as to stop issuing building permits to data centres.   Why do data centres require so much energy?  - To provide constant power supply with minimum disruptions  - Electricity used by IT devices such as servers, storage drives and network devices is converted into heat, which must be removed from the data centre by cooling equipment that also runs on electricity  - Facilities must be kept at the appropriate temperature   - Additional equipment such as humidifiers and monitors are also required   The energy impact of data centres is undeniable, but so is the need for these facilities to handle the world’s ever-increasing data demands. What can’t be ignored is the energy efficiency trends that have developed in parallel. The IEA reports that although workloads and internet traffic have nearly tripled, data centre energy consumption has flatlined for the past three years.  Here’s what can be done to improve data centre energy efficiency and sustainability:   High-efficiency equipment  The use of server virtualisation and ARM-based processors can help reduce the energy consumption of IT devices. This new technology is designed to perform fewer types of computer instructions, allowing them to operate at a higher speed and resulting in better performance at a fraction of the power. The servers of today are more powerful and efficient than ever before, and the technology continues to improve.  Renewable energy    One of the best ways to match the rise in ICT workload energy is to ensure a corresponding increase in the usage of renewable energy sources.   By moving part of their high-intensity computing hardware to alternative locations using renewable energy, companies can benefit from a more sustainable energy source while taking energy off the national grid. A location like Iceland boasts reliable, low-cost renewable energy.   By moving part of their high-intensity computing hardware to alternative locations using renewable energy, companies can benefit from a more sustainable energy source while taking energy off the national grid. A location like Iceland boasts reliable, low-cost renewable energy.   Big data centre operators such as Google are establishing solar generation plants to offset their data centre usage on the grid, using small panels coupled with battery storage to reduce non-critical functions such as engine heaters, office air-conditioning, fuel polishing and lighting.   Intelligent power distribution management  The key to better energy efficiency in data centres is managing power load and distribution. For example, reducing the number of servers needed during low traffic hours. Rather than leaving all servers idle, some servers can be turned off when not needed while others run at full throttle. Matching the server capacity to real-time demands is made possible through smart monitoring and management tools.   It’s also important to remove “zombie servers”, which are servers that have become redundant and are no longer in use, yet are still powered on and consuming energy. Research shows that 25% of physical servers are zombies, along with 30% of virtual servers. In general, these servers haven’t been shut down because operators don’t know what they contain or what they are used for. To deal with this problem proactively, every server and function must be documented and monitored appropriately using asset management software.   Optimised cooling  In conventional data centres, standard air conditioning uses a significant proportion of the centre’s energy bill. All IT equipment must remain at safe temperatures, which is why proper ventilation and cooling is so important.  Measures managers can take to optimise cooling include the following:  - Proper insulation can help maintain temperatures within the room.  - Strategic equipment layout and streamlined airflow can also improve cooling efficiencies.  - A popular solution is to locate data centres in cool climates and use the outside air to cool the inside. This is known as “free cooling”.   - Piped water is a good conductor of heat. Warm water can be used as a less energy-intensive way to cool data centres.   - Cleaning up workloads and eliminating unnecessary equipment. - Replace older cooling systems with new technology to improve efficiencies.  Machine learning and automation in data centres can also be used to optimise cooling system setpoints for variable outside conditions, which provides a number of marginal energy gains.  Heat transfer technology  Using the heat coming off the servers is like taking advantage of a free resource. For example, an IBM data centre in Switzerland warms a nearby swimming pool with its waste heat.   However, because heat doesn’t travel well, the use of waste heat is generally limited to data centres that can supply nearby customers or cities that already use piped hot water to heat homes.  Energy offsets  The information age is making buildings smarter and more energy efficient. With fairly simple automations such as occupancy sensors that turn off lights and HVAC when no one is in a room, along with informed decision-making as a result of access to real-time utility consumption data, building managers can use smart technology and building management systems to reduce their carbon footprints. This infrastructure is facilitated by data centres, so one could argue that some of the energy being used by data centres is offset by the lower consumption of the smart buildings they service.   Policy making and planning  Decision-makers need to be able to confidently and accurately evaluate future efficiency and mitigation options. Policymakers and energy planners need to be able to:  - Monitor future data centre energy use trends - Understand key energy use drivers - Assess the effectiveness of various policy interventions In order to do this, data analysts need access to reliable data sources on the energy consumption characteristics of IT devices and cooling/power systems.   Smart metering technology is just the start—along with the data from smart meters, energy managers need a platform with data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities in order to make the most of the data they are presented with.   Data centre operations require a safe, efficient and dependable power supply. There’s no doubt that sustainability is going to be the overriding trend that will remain front and centre within the industry for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, the very same smart technology that is necessitating the growth is also helping to make them more energy efficient and future-fit.