Enhancing Power Utilization and Efficiency
In the report, The Road to a Net Zero Data Center,1” Gartner recommends that operators, "Actively implement a radical energy efficiency and emissions reduction plan that falls in line with the enterprise net zero target or similar science-based targets."
That plan could include identifying stranded capacity and optimizing efficiency within the critical power system. Stranded capacity in the power system can exist due to excessive derating of power components by equipment manufacturers compensating for variances in manufacturing. With equipment from vendors, such as Vertiv, capable of operating at 100% of rated capacity, we believe that companies can avoid derating and the stranded capacity that comes with it.
Oversizing based on infrequently experienced peaks can also create stranded capacity. Today’s UPS systems are rated to allow the UPS to safely handle short-term out-of-norm conditions, minimizing the need for oversizing. For example, the Liebert® Trinergy Cube can operate at 110% of rated capacity continuously, 125% for ten minutes, and 150% for one minute.
Stranded capacity from oversizing can also extend to the backup generator system. In a blog post supporting the Gartner report, The Road to a Net Zero Data Center2, one of the report’s analyst authors, Tiny Haynes, notes that monthly diesel generator checks contribute 9.2 kilograms per kilowatt-hour of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, assuming 2 liters of diesel is consumed.
Reducing the size of generators by eliminating the need for oversizing has the potential to reduce the emissions from carbon-based generators. This can be achieved through controls that compensate for frequency changes during the transition to generator power, eliminating the need to oversize generators to enhance stability during the transition.
Power equipment utilization and efficiency can also be enhanced through the adoption of more sophisticated UPS architectures and new intelligent operating modes. With efficiency up to 99%, the Liebert® EXL S1 operating in Dynamic Online mode offers operational energy savings over legacy UPS systems that average 94% efficiency, and modern UPS systems that approach 97% efficiency.
As operators consider investments in these technologies, we believe they should keep in mind the guidance Gartner provides in The Road to a Net Zero Data Center3: "The alternatives are either elderly, less efficient data centers or ones that cannot consume any form of renewable energy, thus becoming a liability for business should emission taxations be introduced."
There are solutions available today from data center equipment manufacturers, such as Vertiv, that could allow operators to improve power system utilization. Work with your infrastructure provider to evaluate your critical power system and develop a plan for the system that supports your goals.
1,2,3 Gartner, The Road to a Net Zero Data Center, Tiny Haynes, Philip Dawson, Simon Mingay, 10 June 2021
Real-World Solution 1: Managing Higher Densities
Background:
Silicon Valley-based Colovore delivers a colocation data center environment designed to support next-generation high performance computing (HPC) for applications that include artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and big data. Colovore’s high-density solutions are ideal for these applications because they allow customers to deploy servers in a highly compact footprint that requires much less space and far fewer cabinets than traditional colocation facilities.
Critical Need:
The increase in power usage from HPC coupled with the high operating temperatures of high-density environments required Colovore to implement a robust thermal management solution that would enable compact server footprints that maximize power, cooling, and operating efficiency.
Solution:
Colovore chose the Vertiv™ Liebert® DCD rear-door heat exchangers to deliver efficient and effective high-density cooling. The Liebert DCD liquid cooling modules manage efficient heat removal of up to 35 kW per rack across the entire data center floor. This solution enabled fully packed, top-to-bottom rack deployments with no wasted or unusable rack unit slots and increased operating and capital efficiency due to significant reductions in required cabinets, data center floor space, and energy consumption. The high-density facility also relies on Vertiv UPS systems, power distribution units, and supplemental air- cooling systems.
Real-World Solution 2: Increasing Power System Efficiency
Background:
The University of Southampton, UK, enables its exceptional research and development capabilities and entrepreneurial culture with a forward- thinking IT team and a proactive approach to data center infrastructure. With computing demands continuing to increase, the university identified the need for a new data center that could achieve the dual goals of enabling HPC while ensuring environmental accountability.
Critical Need:
The challenge the university faced during the data center design process was enabling HPC alongside more repetitive processing tasks while optimizing efficiency across the various load profiles.
Solution:
The university chose the modular Vertiv™ Liebert® Trinergy Cube UPS system to meet its current needs for a high-efficiency power system while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to future requirements. The Liebert Trinergy Cube is the first high-power UPS with an adaptive algorithm that continually monitors the power supply and load and automatically selects the most efficient operating mode. With the new facility, the university reduced its data center energy requirements by 300 megawatt-hours per year and annual CO2 production by 160 tons compared to the previous, less efficient facility.
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