Improving Data Center Efficiency
3 Green Strategies
Many customer conversations focus on ways to increase data center efficiency. The emphasis on energy efficient data centers isn’t solely about energy savings but also includes goals such as reducing waste, improving reliability, and saving money. To improve data center efficiency, consider the following strategies:
Data Center Infrastructure Management Provides
Real-Time Insights
Data Center Infrastructure Management, or DCIM, is best viewed as a process and not a particular tool or objective. For data centers to thrive, they must be able to monitor, manage and measure their assets using an integrated, real-time solution.
Providing a forum for facilities management and IT personnel to work together is key. In addition, use of DCIM software helps administrators monitor energy sensors and supporting hardware as well as analyzing power usage effectiveness (PUE) and cooling system efficiency. DCIM software helps you keep your data center running at peak performance.
DCIM can also help take virtualization to the next level—enabling you to “virtualize” power, cooling and space, to optimize use and make your data center far more energy efficient.
Economizers Reduce Data Center Cooling Cost
In addition to developing processes, and using monitoring tools to improve efficiency, selecting the right technology is an important aspect of overall data center efficiency. Since cooling accounts for almost 40 percent of data center energy usage it’s a focal point for driving energy and cost savings. Thermal management equipment available today offers significant savings by using economizers to reduce data center cooling costs.
Economizer systems use either outside air, water, or pumped refrigerant to reduce or eliminate mechanical cooling used in data centers. These economizer systems generate significant energy savings of up to 50 percent, compared to the legacy systems in use today. Direct economizers bring outside air into the data center while indirect economizers transfer heat outside the building.
Three Types of Indirect Economizers
- Pumped refrigerant systems
- Air to air heat exchangers
- Dry coolers on chilled water systems
The Liebert DSE Free Cooling System is a direct-expansion (DX) system that utilizes an integrated pumped refrigerant economizer to maximize annual energy savings and provide superior availability without the need for separate economization coils. When outdoor ambient temperatures are low enough, the integrated refrigerant pump is used to circulate the refrigerant in lieu of the compressor to maintain the desired supply air temperature. The refrigerant pump uses a fraction of the energy used by the compressor, increasing energy savings. Ease of installation greatly reduces the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of pumped refrigerant systems.
Data Center Design
Green data center design meets IT goals for speed, availability, and efficiency. Technology is moving closer to the edge, and the pace of change often requires flexibility in data center implementation whether in a container, a modular approach, or a regional micro data center.
Modular data centers consist of pre-fabricated building blocks that can be deployed in a fraction of the time it takes to erect a bricks-and-mortar facility. They include all the necessary IT, power, cooling, fire protection and access control elements.
Whether in a branch office, container, or closet, small IT spaces often require high availability for critical applications, efficient operation, and quick implementation. An attractive option for small, modular data centers is an integrated approach, like Vertiv’s SmartRow, with all the necessary components packaged together. The SmartRow system reduces energy consumption by up to 27% compared to a data centers with conventional design.
Data Center efficiency initiatives come in all shapes and sizes. As your local Vertiv business partner, we offer data center assessment, award winning products, and expertise that will save your business time and money. Contact us today to get started.