An interesting article about energy efficiency in a data center:
As we previously reported on DatacenterDynamics, Alestra recently received the High Security World Class Quality Assurance Data Center certification from the International Computer Room Experts Association (ICREA). To mark this certification, Miguel Ramos, Alestra's data center manager, wants to share ten key points with data center administrators and users that strengthen strategies for more efficient energy consumption. 1. Removing offices from within the data center: This saves the energy that would otherwise be required for cooling the facilities used to house staff. For example, the IT lab area for non-business continuity environments, as well as spaces designated as war rooms, could be located outside the data center, avoiding the energy consumption generated by electrical redundancy and precision climate control required for equipment in production environments. 2. Turning off unused equipment: This measure reduces the data center's energy consumption and the heat emitted by the equipment, which in turn affects the temperature of the facilities. Server CPUs can also be programmed for automatic power-on and power-off based on processing demand to reduce energy consumption by decreasing activity. 3. Powering on-demand equipment: As a complement to the previous measure, it is highly advisable to keep only the necessary equipment running to achieve programmed energy consumption that aligns with needs. For example, servers hosting training and development programs that are not in constant use. If these servers are turned off when not in use, significant energy savings will be generated without negatively impacting staff training and development. 4. Automatic lighting control: Reducing energy consumption through systems sensitive to human presence is one way to achieve positive results; another option is to raise awareness among administrators so they turn off the lights when leaving the premises. 5. Nighttime lighting circuit using LED lamps. When the data center is unoccupied, visibility can be maintained from the command center or the security monitoring area using low-energy LED lights (1W) and an automatic presence-sensitive lighting system for the remaining lights. 6. Increase the data center temperature to a maximum of 24°C or 27°C: According to recent recommendations from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), it is possible to save electrical energy by allowing the temperature to reach 27°C, as long as it does not exceed this limit. This measure achieves energy savings without compromising proper operating parameters. This measure also significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, which, if not avoided, would require entire forests to process. 7. Implementation of hot and cold aisle lighting and plenum curtains: It is important to define the layout of the cabinets for the most efficient use of cool air and the removal of hot air. The cold aisle-hot aisle system aims to prevent the mixing of cold and hot air. It involves arranging the racks with their "faces" facing the cold air source (cold aisles) and their "backs" facing the hot air return (hot aisles). Additionally, the server fans push the hot air towards the back of their cabinets. To better confine the cold aisles and prevent hot air from entering them, it is recommended to use plenum curtains installed above the cabinets and at the entrance to the cold aisles. 8. Include cabinets with chimneys to remove hot air: To avoid excessive cooling systems, it is essential to define an air recirculation scheme. Ducts that vent hot air directly to the air conditioning equipment can maintain the aforementioned temperature parameters. These solutions can reduce electricity consumption and, consequently, energy costs by up to 121%. 9. Virtualization: Define which applications and data can be virtualized within companies to reduce server infrastructure costs. Remember that for every watt saved in IT equipment, approximately another watt is saved in the cooling system. 10. Implement a green culture in IT: In addition to physical modifications to the facilities, it is necessary for data center staff to become more aware of the importance of energy efficiency. This will generate synergy among teams and lead to faster energy efficiency improvements. One way to measure the effectiveness of this strategy is by calculating PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) using the following formula developed by Green Grid: PUE = Total Data Center (DC) Consumption / IT Equipment Consumption. Alestra invites its readers to optimize electricity consumption in their data centers as an effective way to contribute to a less environmentally damaging industry and a less polluted world, while also generating savings for their respective companies. Note: The steps mentioned in this article were applied at the Alestra Data Center, resulting in savings of 351,300 TLP in electromechanical components (air conditioning), 991,300 TLP in lighting, and 121,300 TLP in IT equipment. Energy usage was also optimized, achieving a PUE of 1.7. (Source: DatacenterDynamics)