Article | How Data Centres Can Bring Energy Efficiency

How Data Centres Can Bring Energy Efficiency

There are more than 7.2 million data centres in the world. They have to run continuously and without interruption, which means that they also need electricity round the clock. Can you imagine the quantity of energy they consume? According to International Energy Agency, the global energy consumption of data centres stood at 200-250 terawatt-hours in 2020. This is equivalent to 1% of global electricity demand! It is only expected to increase in the coming years given that the data centre market size is projected to grow at over 10% CAGR by 2028.

There is a dire need to cut down energy waste in data centres to shift them towards efficiency. Let’s take a look at the steps data centres can take in this direction:

1. Install Energy Usage Monitor Equipment

If data centres install energy usage monitor equipment and sensors, then they can measure electricity consumption. It will give them an accurate idea about zones that are energy eaters. Based on the readings, they can take the necessary steps to minimize the energy usage in those zones.

2. Separate Hot Air and Cold Air

A switch to the hot aisle/cold aisle layout helps to maximize the cool airflow and minimize the heat discharge. Arrange the rows of server racks in such a way that the fronts of servers face each other. Similarly, the backs of servers should also face each other. The addition of partitions or ceilings is also one of the ways to separate hot air and cold air.

3. Reduce PUE

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) refers to the measure of a data centre’s total power delivered divided by the power usage of its IT equipment. The lower the PUE, the better it is. A PUE rating of 1.0 is ideal as it means 100% efficiency for the data centre. You need to continuously measure PUE to find ways to reduce it.

4. Adopt Water Cooling Treatment

ASHRAE, a global professional organization promoting human well-being through sustainable technology, has laid down the best practices for data centre temperature and humidity monitoring. It states that if data centres are one degree closer to the specified temperature safe zone, they can save around 4% of energy costs.

A water cooling treatment can help maintain the ideal temperature safe zone. It is instrumental in server cooling, space cooling, heat rejection, and fluid conditioning. When cooling increases, data centres will produce less heat, and thereby need less electricity to run.

A reliable water treatment technology such as Chem-Aqua from NCH Asia can serve the right purpose. It helps in the use and recycling of water efficiently. This will reduce both water consumption and wastage. Chem-Aqua solution and products can also control and prevent scaling, corrosion, and biofilm/microbiological growth due to water.

5. Use a Smart Grid

A smart grid is an electricity network that enables the two-way flow of electricity and data. This helps to create a distributed and automated network of power delivery. It helps data centres to identify changes in usage and manage other power-related issues proactively. It dispatches workload to the data centres where electricity cost is lower or there is an excess supply of power. So, a smart grid can be very useful to reduce energy costs.

6. Improve Lighting Efficiency

This is perhaps one of the most ignored aspects when it comes to energy efficiency in data centres. LED lighting is a brilliant option because it costs less to operate and they are also eco-friendly. A carefully-planned ceiling grid and lighting placement can maximize visibility while reducing energy costs. Data centres can also consider sensors that automatically turn on lights when they sense human movements and shut down lights when the space is vacant.

7. Provide Energy Efficiency Training to Staff

Data centre owners should sensitize their staff in curbing power usage. It is imperative to make them aware of potential energy leakage or optimization areas. It would also be a good idea to give them incentives for identifying measures to reduce energy usage.

Energy consumption in data centres is a global concern. It is also putting a major burden on the ecological footprint. Hence, it is important that data centres incorporate the above-mentioned suggestions to bring energy efficiency.