When it comes to energy requirements for today’s data centers, we find that there are ever increasing needs to be able to operate at higher efficiencies, maximize floor space, and reduce operating costs across the facility.
In my last column I discussed the proposed ASHRAE 90.4 Data Center Energy Efficiency standard. At the time the article published, the second revision for comment (September 2015) mandated a PUE ranging from 1.3 to 1.6, dependent on its location in the 18 geographic zones.
The digital word is growing at a frantic pace. Ninety percent of our information was created in the past decade and that information largely lives on the internet.
What’s holding you back from having a world-class data center? If your challenges include outdated or inefficient cooling systems, then the answer could be easier and less expensive than you might think.
Stopping the presses at the Chicago Sun Timesled to the rise of a one-of-a-kind mission critical powerhouse on Chicago’s South Side. The 317,000-sq-ft legacy printing facility is now a robust colocation data center, featuring low latency, high reliability, and redundant infrastructure that swaps the written word for digital content — a real sign of the times.
Are microgrids that are not interconnected to utility grids (islanded) appropriate to power data centers? Islanded microgrids may be very beneficial to single owner data centers or other mission critical facilities.