What steps can you take to make your data center more environmentally friendly?

Data centers are essential for storing, processing, and transmitting digital information, but they also consume a lot of energy and generate a lot of heat and emissions. As a facilities engineer, you have a responsibility to make your data center more environmentally friendly, not only to reduce your environmental impact, but also to save costs, improve efficiency, and enhance your reputation. Here are some steps you can take to green your data center.

1 Assess your current situation

Before you can implement any changes, you need to know where you stand. Conduct an energy audit of your data center to measure your power usage effectiveness (PUE), which is the ratio of total energy used by the facility to the energy used by the IT equipment. The lower the PUE, the more efficient your data center is. You also need to identify the sources of your energy consumption, such as cooling, lighting, and backup systems, and the potential areas for improvement.

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Daniel Fernandez-Ruiz ⚡️

Verwandle deine Energiedaten in Einsparungen! Mit unserem Energiemanagementsystem machst du komplexe Daten verständlich und erzielst nachhaltige Rentabilität – ganz ohne Zähleraustausch
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Auch in Rechenzentren gilt, was man nicht messen kann, kann man auch nicht verbessern. Vor allem ist es hier interessant zu sehen, wie hoch die Grundlast ist und wann Lastspitzen entstehen. Alleine die Reduzierung der Grundlast um nur 100 Watt bedeutet eine jährliche Einsparung von 300 Euro. Und da geht einiges mehr...

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Russell V. Avolio, MBA

Project Manager- Capital Improvements
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Assessing your current data center situation is crucial for environmental sustainability because it helps identify areas for improvement. Understanding energy consumption, resource utilization, and environmental impact allows you to implement targeted strategies. This assessment guides the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, renewable energy sources, and other eco-friendly practices, ultimately reducing the ecological footprint of the data center.

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2 Optimize your cooling system

Cooling is one of the biggest energy consumers in a data center, as it is needed to prevent overheating of IT equipment. Unfortunately, many data centers use more cooling than necessary, resulting in wasted energy and money. To optimize your cooling system, you can adopt free cooling techniques, such as air-side or water-side economizers, that use outside air or water to cool the data center when the ambient temperature is low enough. You could also implement hot aisle/cold aisle containment to separate hot exhaust air from cold intake air, improving the efficiency of cooling units. Additionally, adjusting the temperature and humidity settings according to the ASHRAE guidelines can allow for less cooling and more energy savings. Finally, installing variable speed fans and pumps can adjust their speed according to the cooling demand, reducing power consumption and noise level.

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Daniel Fernandez-Ruiz ⚡️

Verwandle deine Energiedaten in Einsparungen! Mit unserem Energiemanagementsystem machst du komplexe Daten verständlich und erzielst nachhaltige Rentabilität – ganz ohne Zähleraustausch
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Vor allem kann man aber die Abwärme nutzen, um Strom zu produzieren und die Strom wiederum für die Kühlung zu verwenden. Ein geschlossener Kreis.

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Russell V. Avolio, MBA

Project Manager- Capital Improvements
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Optimizing cooling systems in a data center is significant for environmental friendliness because it directly impacts energy efficiency. Efficient cooling reduces overall power consumption, lowering carbon emissions and operational costs. By implementing advanced cooling techniques such as liquid cooling, airflow management, and temperature controls, you can minimize the environmental impact of data center operations, contributing to sustainability efforts in the IT industry.

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3 Upgrade your IT equipment

Another way to make your data center more environmentally friendly is to upgrade your IT equipment to more energy-efficient models. This can include replacing old servers, storage devices, and network devices with newer ones that have higher performance, lower power consumption, and better utilization. You can also consolidate your IT equipment by using virtualization, cloud computing, or containerization, which can reduce the number of physical devices and servers you need, as well as the space, cooling, and power requirements. Additionally, you can use power management tools and software to monitor and control the power usage of your IT equipment, and turn off or scale down the devices that are not in use.

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Russell V. Avolio, MBA

Project Manager- Capital Improvements
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Performing upgrades to IT equipment is significant for maintaining an environmentally friendly data center as newer technologies often come with improved energy efficiency. Upgrading to more energy-efficient servers, storage devices, and networking equipment can lead to reduced power consumption and lower environmental impact. Regular upgrades also ensure that your data center stays aligned with the latest eco-friendly standards and practices, contributing to long-term sustainability goals.

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4 Use renewable energy sources

One of the most effective ways to reduce your environmental impact is to use renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, or biomass, to power your data center. Renewable energy sources can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels, lower your carbon footprint, and save you money on electricity bills. You can either generate your own renewable energy on-site, or purchase it from a green energy provider or a renewable energy certificate (REC) program. However, you need to consider the availability, reliability, and cost of the renewable energy sources in your location, as well as the potential challenges of integrating them with your existing power infrastructure.

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Russell V. Avolio, MBA

Project Manager- Capital Improvements
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Using renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, for data centers has a significant positive impact on environmental friendliness. It reduces reliance on fossil fuels, decreasing carbon emissions and mitigating the environmental impact of energy consumption. Transitioning to renewable energy supports sustainability goals, helps combat climate change, and positions data centers as environmentally responsible entities in the broader effort to promote clean energy solutions

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5 Recycle and reuse your waste

Finally, you can make your data center more environmentally friendly by recycling and reusing your waste, such as electronic waste, packaging materials, paper, and plastic. You can either send your waste to a certified recycling facility, or donate or sell it to other organizations that can use it. Recycling and reusing your waste can reduce the amount of landfill and pollution, conserve natural resources, and generate revenue or tax benefits. Moreover, you can also reuse the waste heat generated by your data center for other purposes, such as heating your building, water, or greenhouses, or producing electricity, depending on the quality and quantity of the heat.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Daniel Fernandez-Ruiz ⚡️

Verwandle deine Energiedaten in Einsparungen! Mit unserem Energiemanagementsystem machst du komplexe Daten verständlich und erzielst nachhaltige Rentabilität – ganz ohne Zähleraustausch
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Rechenzentren sind wie geschaffen, um mit Gleichstrom zu arbeiten. Es ist viel effizienter, im Vergleich würde ein solches Rechenzentrum 5-10% weniger Energie verbrauchen

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Ahmed Hussein Hassan

MEP Engineer at 7X
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Battery Storage Solutions - Integrating advanced battery storage systems to store excess energy during periods of high renewable energy production and use it during peak demand times Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems - Implementing CHP systems that capture and utilize excess heat generated during electricity production for heating purposes, increasing overall energy efficiency. Smart Grid Integration - Utilizing smart grid technologies to optimize energy distribution and consumption, ensuring efficient utilization of renewable energy sources. Energy Monitoring and Management - Implementing sophisticated energy monitoring and management systems to identify and address inefficiencies, optimizing energy usage in real-time.

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What steps can you take to make your data center more environmentally friendly?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Assess your current situation

2 Optimize your cooling system

3 Upgrade your IT equipment

4 Use renewable energy sources

5 Recycle and reuse your waste

6 Here’s what else to consider

Facilities Engineering

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What steps can you take to make your data center more environmentally friendly?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Assess your current situation

2 Optimize your cooling system

3 Upgrade your IT equipment

4 Use renewable energy sources

5 Recycle and reuse your waste

6 Here’s what else to consider

Facilities Engineering

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