Sustainable data center solutions
As time goes on, climate issues are becoming much more important to many industries. Data centers are no different, as it is well known that data centers consume high amounts of energy and take up swathes of land space in order to run. However, data centers are vital to many data transfer processes around the world and so if data centers are to keep functioning and keep up with demand, sustainable options must be employed as soon as possible.
Data center cooling is a necessary process that ensures that the computing equipment in the data center runs correctly and doesn’t overheat or cause any hazards. However, cooling a data center is what consumes the most energy, and often uses up important resources like water, and so it is becoming increasingly important for data centers to find a sustainable cooling solution that can keep up with future demand. There has already been a shift in popularity away from air cooling as this option consumes very high amounts of energy, with water cooling and rear door heat exchangers emerging as much more energy-efficient options. The key to sustainable cooling in a data center is achieving maximum cooling output that uses minimal energy. Computer Room Air Conditioning was once the most common form of cooling, but its high energy consumption levels have revealed it to be an unsustainable option, even when combined with aisle containment. In comparison, Rear Door Heat Exchangers utilise both air and water cooling, with heat being extracted from the back of the data cabinet to provide very efficient cooling at the source.
Water cooling passes cold water in a closed circuit along the computing hardware, removing heat from the source as it goes. Many sustainable data centers are redesigning their infrastructure to reduce water consumption and hit water conservation targets. Some data centers have found an opportunity for sustainability here by recycling the hot “waste” water to be used as hot water in the staff facilities in the data center. Water cooled data centers near the coast have also begun to use seawater rather than fresh water in the cooling process, meaning that less water is wasted in cooling.
If data centers are to achieve sustainability targets, renewable energy and recycling must be prioritised. Sustainable data centers are committing to clean energy and carbon neutrality, with The Climate Neutral Data Centre pact stating that all data center electricity must be 100% renewable by 2030. Steps must also be taken to reduce waste by repairing and recycling server parts, and recycling and reusing data center heat into the local community.
USystems are passionate about providing data center solutions that have a minimal impact on the environment, with sustainability being our top priority. By providing innovative data center cooling products to businesses globally, we can help to make the world of data centers a more environmentally friendly place. If you are interested in cooling solutions for your data center that can reduce your energy usage and your impact on the environment, get in touch today.
