In today’s data center landscape, facility managers seek to operate with reliable and energy efficient equipment that produces a low total cost of ownership. In many cases, wasted power and interruptions from harmonic currents can serve as a “fly in the ointment” for these IT professionals striving to achieve cost-effective operational goals.
Innovations like faster switching devices and power factor corrected power supplies have led many data center operators to mistakenly think of harmonics as a thing of the past. In actuality, fluctuating loads, equipment, and operating conditions can still produce harmonics, power factor problems, and load balancing issues even at facilities that have adopted the latest technologies.