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SEMI-THERMFEBRUARY 23 , 2010

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIAC a p t u r i n g e ff i c i e n c y o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n d a t a c e n t e r s h a s b e c o m e a

b u s i n e s s i m p e r a t i v e , a l l o w i n g m a n a g e r s t o e x t e n d t h e c a p a c i t y o f e x i s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s , d r i v e d o w n c o s t s , a n d d e l i v e r e n v i r o n m e n t a l

q u a l i t y b e n e fi t s .

Efficiency Opportunities for Data Center Cooling

M A R K B R A M F I TT, P. E .

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TopicsEngineering – first principles

Utility vantage point – includes public policy

Impact – what can you do

Data centers are impacting the environment with unsustainable growth

Cooling efficiency opportunities

The long view

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What do Data Centers Look Like?

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Unity Load FactorNo other utility loads look like this!

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DC Classifications

Utility Scale: Co-location, cloud and researchEnterpriseCloset

Federal EPA estimates that data centers consume ~2% of US electricity, and is on pace to double every five years.

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Where Are They?

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Utilities Data Centers

Regulatory Compliance Reliability Risk Management Load Growth Competitive Rates Load Management Renewable Resources Energy Efficiency

Services Smart Grid

Reliability Capacity Low Rates (Opex) Capex Avoidance Carbon Content

Utility and DC Drivers

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Why Bother Looking at Cooling?Typical data centers have PUE of 2: half of energy use is for support equipment

Best in class DCs have PUE of 1.2 or so, largely by adopting best practices for cooling

Managing IT energy use turns out to be much tougher!

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Energy EfficiencyDoing the same work with lower energy use

Use more efficient equipment (all)

Use equipment more effectively

Make use of ambient conditions (cooling)

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Data Center EE – CoolingFirst two are best at build, next three are outstanding retrofit opportunities

Premium efficiency equipment (chillers, pumps, fans)

Free cooling – use of ambient conditions

Variable speed drives to match load

Airflow management/containment

Liquid cooling strategies

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Free CoolingUse of ambient environment to cool data centers.

Typically air-side only, but condenser cooling can be a great strategy alone or in tandem with air-side.

The Green Grid has a great on-line tool that calculates potential energy savings for implementing air-side

economizer:http://cooling.thegreengrid.org/namerica/WEB_APP/

calc_index.html

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Free Cooling Economics

6000-8000 hours of free cooling in Bay Area

Payback is well under a year for new construction

Retrofit difficult and not as cost-effective (2-3 year payback)

Separating DC from building system, installing package units

Title 24 will likely mandate air-side economizer for all new DCs

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Wholly Ambient CoolingIndustry leaders are building centers with no mechanical cooling whatsoever

Yahoo, NY – “Chicken Coop” design uses building design and prevailing wind

Microsoft, Dublin – Should use 100% outside air, but has DX backup

HP, England – reports only 20 hours of mechanical cooling

UC Berkeley and Stanford Research DCs – planned

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Airflow ManagementGreat retrofit strategy for isolating hot and cold aisles.

VSDs on CRAC units modulate supply flow to match equipment needs.

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Airflow ManagementThe ultimate in “close loop” cooling, containerized data centers

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Fully Containerized DC ConceptA conceptual design from Microsoft, who along with Google are leaders in large-scale containerized data center deployment.

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“Close Loop”Strategy: move heat through liquid, from as close to the source as possible

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Developing Technologies

Virtualization 2.0 – Server ManagementVirtualization 2.5 – IT Workload

Management

Virtualization 3.0 – Holistic Data Center

Solid State Data Storage

Optical Data Storage

Liquid Cooling Strategies

Passive Cooling Strategies for IT Equipment

Cooling Storage Systems

Change in Power Delivery Voltage

Heat RecoveryOn-Site

Generation

Modular Airflow Isolation

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Liquid Cooling – Last MileProposed in 2003, this represents an “almost fan-less” morphology. CPU is effectively directly coupled to a liquid cooling system. Only secondary components are cooled using air.

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Thermal Storage

Permanent load shifting Thermal energy storage may lower capex and reduce

oppex.

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Utility Programs & ServicesUtilities throughout US are initiating and expanding energy efficiency programs for IT and data centers

Typical portfolio elements: Education and training Technical and analysis support New construction incentives Retrofit incentives Retrofit/purchase rebates Services (air flow management)

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Why…Energy efficiency, renewables, demand response, smart grid?

Utilities can be regulated to deliver cost-effective services with lower environmental impacts.

Energy efficiency programs have helped keep per capita electricity consumption in California flat over the past 30 years

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Challenges

IT industry not accustomed to thinking about efficiency

IT mangers not rewarded or penalized for energy use

Entrenched designs and operating schemes

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Opportunities

Manage your own growth profile – take control of capacity needs

Dramatic short-term cost savings achievable with proven technologies and measures

Time is now to “reset” the IT energy use growth curve

IT’s role in delivering environmental improvements are immense

US leadership in IT industry, and by extension…

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MARK BRAMFITT, P.E .3055 GOUGH STREET, #100SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123

PHONE 415.407 .6291MARK@MARKBRAMFITT.COM

Interchange

information technology utilities data centers energy efficiency demand response smart grid program design training strategic engagement impact