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Six simple yet effective ways to optimise data centre energy efficiency
Operating sustainably is at the top of the agenda for data centre leaders as they aim to become climate-neutral by 2030 .
James Giblette , Director of Digital Infrastructure – UK & Ireland at Legrand Data Center Solutions , discusses the ways organisations can reduce energy wastage in the data centre and meet sustainability initiatives .
In the current digital age , it is expected that data centres will continue to rise in both power consumption and complexity . In fact , it is predicted by IDC that the global datasphere will have expanded to 175 zettabytes by 2025 . As the age of Big Data continues to grow , the challenge for data centre operators will be to discover how they support additional data while also meeting targets like those set out in the European Green Deal – an initiative to achieve climate-neutral , high-energy efficient and sustainable data centres by 2030 .
So , what can organisations do to reduce energy wastage in the data centre and meet sustainability initiatives ? Here we review six core areas for consideration .
1 . Power monitoring and measurement
It ’ s so cliché , yet so true : you can ’ t manage what you don ’ t measure . The growth in data has resulted in an increased challenge for many in how to manage data centre power usage .
Intelligent rack power distribution units ( PDUs ) can help address these challenges by allowing you to identify rack power consumption at the inlet , outlet and circuit breaker level . Inlet metering is crucial for determining overall server power usage and availability at the rack . Metering at the outlet can help you understand the power consumption of a specific device or server , and metering at the circuit breaker provides early warnings if a circuit becomes heavily loaded and runs the risk of tripping .
Intelligent PDUs offer granular remote power monitoring of current ( amps ), voltage , power ( kVA , kW ), power factor , and energy consumption ( kWh ) to +/– 1 % accuracy , providing you with the most critical information to help your data centre remain stable and efficient .
2 . Identifying underutilised or idle servers
According to a recent survey by the Uptime Institute , approximately 30 % of global data centre servers are either underutilised or completely idle . Idle servers are troublesome for the simple fact that they are inefficient and in large numbers can be highly expensive . Fortunately , intelligent PDUs with outlet level metering can help you to determine which servers are currently underutilised or inefficient and better understand how a specific server ( or device ) is consuming power . Through detailed power consumption metering , you can not only effectively monitor usage , but you can ultimately reduce your costs throughout the entire year . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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