Improving the energy efficiency of data centers: the experience of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Active Power and Burland Energy
A lot of electricity is spent on ensuring the efficient operation of data centers. Therefore, electricity is one of the main cost items for data center owners. And these costs are constantly growing as new and new data warehouses appear. The increase in energy consumption entails an increase in the cost of operating the computing infrastructure. The problem of environmental pollution due to the production of additional electricity is also aggravated.
The post describes options for improving the energy efficiency of data centers from leading corporations.
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The well-known Apple company used an unusual approach to improving the energy efficiency of data centers. Specialists of the company announced the creation of another fuel cell array next to their new main office Campus 2, being built in the city of Cupertino (California, USA). These arrays will help minimize losses that are unavoidable during power transmission. In addition, this solution will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the computing infrastructure.
Apple Campus 2 project, designed by British architect Norman Foster
Bloom Energy has acted as a fuel cell supplier. This company has already collaborated with Apple in North Carolina, where it deployed generating units near the campus data center.
Near Campus 2, Bloom Energy engineers are planning to deploy 4-megawatt units, complemented by solar panels and an array of batteries. Most likely it will be a super modern solution Bloom Energy Server 5 with an efficiency reaching up to 65%. And in terms of power density, the new solution promises to nearly double its predecessors.
In 2015, Google announced its intention to expand the data center campus in the central part of the island of Taiwan. This was needed to accelerate expansion in the fast-growing Asian Internet services market. And the search giant also chose local generating capacity based on renewable energy sources. Such an approach allows minimizing the carbon footprint of data centers, at the same time increasing the energy efficiency of their infrastructure by reducing losses during power transmission.
Google data center, Changhua city, Taiwan
Unlike Apple, Google is not going to build its own power plants. Electricity will be purchased from the already constructed generating capacities based on renewable energy sources, which are located next to the server farms.
Microsoft and Primus Power have joined forces to find the best way to efficiently store electricity from renewable sources of energy. This will provide an opportunity to provide data centers with affordable and environmentally friendly electricity. Both companies operate as part of an international program to promote specialized energy storage systems for the data center. Also, Microsoft and Primus Power will collaborate with the organization NRG Energy and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Microsoft data center
Microsoft has launched a global technology research project to improve the infrastructure of the data center, wanting to improve environmental sustainability and reduce the cost of operating the data center.
Another joint project of Active Power and Burland Energy is aimed at improving energy efficiency. Company specialists are going to provide uninterruptible power supply systems to data center owners using a business model similar to cloud services. This will help to use ultra-modern UPS systems with improved energy efficiency and at the same time not to overpay, reducing the operating costs associated with the electrical infrastructure of data centers.
This business model is called UPSaaS (UPS-a-a-a-Service). According to the plan, Burland Energy will purchase UPS flywheel systems from Active Power, and then install them in customer data centers. This will allow data center owners to pay only for the use of equipment and at a fixed rate per kWh.
Energy savings can be achieved in various ways. For example, with the help of uniform modernization not only of auxiliary equipment, but also of all IT-systems with infrastructure.
The post describes options for improving the energy efficiency of data centers from leading corporations.
')
Apple goes to fuel cells
The well-known Apple company used an unusual approach to improving the energy efficiency of data centers. Specialists of the company announced the creation of another fuel cell array next to their new main office Campus 2, being built in the city of Cupertino (California, USA). These arrays will help minimize losses that are unavoidable during power transmission. In addition, this solution will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the computing infrastructure.
Apple Campus 2 project, designed by British architect Norman Foster
Bloom Energy has acted as a fuel cell supplier. This company has already collaborated with Apple in North Carolina, where it deployed generating units near the campus data center.
Near Campus 2, Bloom Energy engineers are planning to deploy 4-megawatt units, complemented by solar panels and an array of batteries. Most likely it will be a super modern solution Bloom Energy Server 5 with an efficiency reaching up to 65%. And in terms of power density, the new solution promises to nearly double its predecessors.
The practice of improving energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint of the data center from Google
In 2015, Google announced its intention to expand the data center campus in the central part of the island of Taiwan. This was needed to accelerate expansion in the fast-growing Asian Internet services market. And the search giant also chose local generating capacity based on renewable energy sources. Such an approach allows minimizing the carbon footprint of data centers, at the same time increasing the energy efficiency of their infrastructure by reducing losses during power transmission.
Google data center, Changhua city, Taiwan
Unlike Apple, Google is not going to build its own power plants. Electricity will be purchased from the already constructed generating capacities based on renewable energy sources, which are located next to the server farms.
Options for improving the energy efficiency of the data center from Microsoft and Primus Power
Microsoft and Primus Power have joined forces to find the best way to efficiently store electricity from renewable sources of energy. This will provide an opportunity to provide data centers with affordable and environmentally friendly electricity. Both companies operate as part of an international program to promote specialized energy storage systems for the data center. Also, Microsoft and Primus Power will collaborate with the organization NRG Energy and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Microsoft data center
Microsoft has launched a global technology research project to improve the infrastructure of the data center, wanting to improve environmental sustainability and reduce the cost of operating the data center.
Business Model Active Power and Burland Energy
Another joint project of Active Power and Burland Energy is aimed at improving energy efficiency. Company specialists are going to provide uninterruptible power supply systems to data center owners using a business model similar to cloud services. This will help to use ultra-modern UPS systems with improved energy efficiency and at the same time not to overpay, reducing the operating costs associated with the electrical infrastructure of data centers.
This business model is called UPSaaS (UPS-a-a-a-Service). According to the plan, Burland Energy will purchase UPS flywheel systems from Active Power, and then install them in customer data centers. This will allow data center owners to pay only for the use of equipment and at a fixed rate per kWh.
Energy savings can be achieved in various ways. For example, with the help of uniform modernization not only of auxiliary equipment, but also of all IT-systems with infrastructure.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/305666/
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