2014 TREND# 2 Energy Efficiency in Mission critical facilities

Energy Efficiency

All of us (OPE/CON/DES) people want to increase efficiency, today we have to think how efficient are or must be  the new cloud and enterprise data centers. 

 In audits of 45 data centers (a report from Upsite Technologies www.upsite.com) , the data centers averaged 3.9 times the amount of cooling capacity actually required by the demand of the associated IT load. -So efficiency is not a very good one-, according to the report, had increased from a factor of 2.6 in a previous study conducted 10 years earlier. 


So what does it mean?  easy for any financial guy, we are not efficient when using energy and this is money that we do not want to waste. The last 5-6 years all of us have learnt that COOLing is the worst money consuming among all trades in a mission critical facilities (we will see deeper in a 2014 Trend )  Then the story what can we do to reduce such expenses?

1. To comply with national (volunteer or not)

• UK´s     Carbon Reduction Commitment  (CRC) , 
• Australia´s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)
• EU       Code of Conduct for Data Centres
• MEX    NMX HP data centres, HP Buildings
• USA     EPA -  Energy Star 
• Japan    Energy Conservation law

And all other countries that have regulations to comply

2. To DESign  to  CONstruct or REfurbish to accomplish best practices 

• air flow clearance (no cabling beneath)
• gaps in raised flooring or racks (closing them)
• temperature (raising)
• containment (hot/cool aisles)

and several others that standards & codes & best practices propose for energy efficiency (Green Grid- UTI-TIA-NMX-LEED-CEEDA,....)

4. To measure  using DCIM and / or  BES  software in evevry point to monitor how the cooling/ energy performance goes and to prevent and plan any adjust

4. To use energy efficiency metrics( vg. PUE, Carbon Net zero,...)

5.. To use Direct Current to avoid conversion  (AC-DC-AC-DC)

6.  To use renewable energy sources (solar, wind, .....)

7.  To use more efficient hardware (Connectivity, Storage , process)

8.  To use  virtualization, clouding  services  (SaaS, IaaS,....)

among them and all others that can be achieved to conduct to energy efficiency and reduce the cost of OPEration.

The great issue is to REDUCE  and get more efficiency when we are using energy. this is not only a economic / business good sense matter but a priority issue that all and each one of us have to do not for our children or grand children but for ourselves in our life term.
 

Or what do you think?

roberto sanchez, RCDD
México