Explore new low-power, high-efficiency, eco-friendly cooling strategies that help data center operators improve costly, traditional cooling approaches.
Eco-sustainable Data Center Cooling
(transcript excerpt)
By: Peter Hayden and Bill Scofield
Highlights
- Cooling data centers is a key part of strategic planning
- New cooling solutions can reduce in-room cooling energy consumption by as much as 90%
- Low pressure, oil-free, zero ozone depleting refrigerant-based cooling offers an eco-sustainable alternative
When it comes to cooling critical systems, conventional methods are simply proving to be increasingly cost-ineffective and inefficient. In March 2009, the AFCOM Data Center Institute reported that over next 5 years more than 90% of all companies will experience power failures and limits on power availability in their data operations.[1]
The recent economic crisis has further amplified the focus on the need to remove unnecessary costs from network infrastructure operations without affecting performance. The major expense and huge energy demand associated with data center cooling have moved the discussion from an afterthought into the strategic planning boardroom. When, where and how new facilities will be built, as well as retrofitting existing facilities are all under scrutiny.
In addition, the increasing awareness about eco-sustainability has added a sense of urgency to reduce the carbon footprint of enterprises and operators alike. Corporate responsibility concerns and eco-sustainable initiatives are impacting buying and operating decisions. A green business strategy is shaping the data center design.
Eco-sustainable solutions that maximize heat transfer and support the higher heat density equipment frames are available on the market today. These solutions can reduce energy consumption by as much as 90%, while simultaneously shrinking the carbon footprint, optimizing data center space utilization, and lowering operational expenditures (OPEX).
The business case speaks for itself
The key to understanding cooling savings and operational efficiency gains is to understand their coefficient of performance (COP). COP is the ratio of cooling capacity to the amount of power used.
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