www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I October 2024 21
Feature
DATA CENTRE COOLING INNOVATIONS HARMONISE EFFICIENCY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
By Eamonn Ryan
The Pan African Data Centre exhibition and conference was held in Johannesburg on 16 / 17 July , bringing together many of the most important companies involved in data centres , but of interest to this magazine was the cooling of data centres . RACA Journal was there .
The 2024 Pan African Data Centres exhibition and conference held on 16 and 17 July in Johannesburg put the HVAC industry in the spotlight with a panel discussion on the topic ‘ Things are heating up – the growing innovation in cooling solutions ’.
The primary focus was on the crucial issue of cooling in data centres , a topic that is garnering growing attention due to its substantial energy consumption and environmental impact . A panel discussion ( covered in greater detail in RACA Journal August issue ), moderated by Jonker Bester , a partner at Spoormaker & Partners , was held and consisted of : Argyrios Papadopolous , a director of Greek HVAC company AIRCOCFD ; Michael Young , application engineer ( thermal ): Vertiv ; and Last Shadaya , senior mechanical engineer : Systemair .
The discussion highlighted various perspectives on how advancements in technology , particularly driven by the rise of artificial intelligence ( AI ), are reshaping strategies for efficient data centre cooling .
Bester commenced the discussion with a sobering statistic : data centres globally consume 1-2 % of the world ' s electricity supply . “ While this percentage may seem modest at first glance , it equates to enough power to sustain cities or even small countries . With projections of data centre growth indicatint a potential doubling of this consumption to 4 % in the near future , the urgency to innovate and optimise cooling solutions becomes increasingly clear .”
Young noted : " Energy consumption is the main driver . Technological improvements like variable compressors and modulating fans are promising , but their implementation must be strategic to yield actual energy savings ."
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Louis Botha and Billy Durie of Aggreko at the Pan-African Data Centre exhibition and conference .
Francois Schoombie , technical manager at ebm papst South Africa at the Pan-African Data Centre exhibition and conference .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I October 2024 21