Datacenters have become a pivotal piece in sustaining all the growing demands of an increasingly digitized society. But they are still a source of considerable energy expenditure with a significant impact on business costs and the current climate crisis. We point out some sustainability trends in data centers that guarantee their efficiency.
To understand the service demands faced by these types of installations, it should be noted that there are currently nearly 20,000 million devices connected to the Internet, which is expected to increase to 100,000 million in 2025. Yes, apart from mobile phones, we consider the rise of the IoT and the growth of artificial intelligence. It is certainly plausible.
In this scenario, in addition to the risk management and resilience needs to guarantee the adequate performance of DPCs, there is the ‘obligation’ to contain the costs of energy consumption and cooling in the face of the environmental crisis we are experiencing. Sustainability in the CPD is imperative, regardless of its scale, both at the company level and at the level of large installations such as colocation data centers.
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Challenges And Solutions To Reduce Energy Consumption In Data Centers
On a large scale, the data center sector has agreed to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 by reducing its carbon footprint, so many green initiatives are already being launched that should be considered when deploying a data center and choosing the best one. IT infrastructure provider coincides with the sustainability strategy of each company.
The power and cooling systems of data centers are the points on which to act. In this fight to achieve excellence in efficiency, environmental protection, and cost reduction, attention must be paid to the energy efficiency of the systems installed in the data center and the conditions of electricity consumption and cooling that will determine its performance.
The air conditioning of the CPD is the real workhorse. To reduce the energy consumed, and therefore the generation of CO2 and the production of greenhouse gases, various actions are being chosen. Among the most immediate standout are the following:
- The closure of the corridors and working on air management to avoid hot areas.
- Free cooling systems are excellent equipment using outside air.
- The use of renewable energies.
Water Systems And HFO Refrigerants To Improve The Air Conditioning Of The Data Center
One of the measures most talked about now is chilled water systems, specifically those that work with modern HFO refrigerants. Its hydro fluoro olefin compound reduces direct emissions and, therefore, the data center’s global warming potential (GWP). Their risk of inflammation has been addressed by locating the cooling units outside the data center so any issues can be more easily resolved.
These water systems are more efficient if they have those mentioned above accessible cooling technology because it allows the equipment to be cooled without activating the chiller unit’s compressor, which consumes the most electricity. If the application of adiabatic air conditioning is added, the air temperature will be improved through advanced evaporation and water spraying technology. All these changes are controlled from a console that monitors specific needs, analyzing temperatures and performance.
Green Data Center Upgrade Plans
Updating data centers to transform them into sustainable DPCs requires planning of data center specialists can take care of. For more than 25 years, we have been working on optimizing CPDs, incorporating improvements in their infrastructures and communications to ensure their efficient performance and reduce the costs associated with their operation.
A plan for the sustainability of the data center goes through four key points.
- Audit the starting situation and the challenges the facility faces, considering everything from environmental conditions to the regulations that must be met, including market objectives.
- Design a roadmap with achievable milestones in terms that can be achieved.
- Acquire products that guarantee the highest energy efficiency. This implies a firm commitment to green technology. Furthermore, in support of the circular economy, if the installation produces excess heat, it can be distributed through so-called ‘heat networks’ to other locations that take advantage of it.
- Invest in renewable energy to supply internal consumption needs.
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