Environmentally Friendly Data Centre Cooling
It takes a lot of energy to make your data centre function at ideal performance. That flow of electricity not only causes large costs but also leads to increased emissions that affect the environment. Large data centres use more than (1)30 billion kilowatt hours of electrical power in a year, and some use enough electrical energy to power thousands of homes.
Most industries and companies today are conscious about how environmentally friendly or 'green' they are, and what their carbon footprint is. So with this added pressure to businesses today, the need to adopt an eco-friendly attitude and take on new technology and tools is increasing in the IT service sector.
IT sectors and departments are making great efforts to apply greener and more environment-friendly resourcefulness on all levels. Energy efficiency has become more of a focal point from two aspects; an environmental stance and a financial one too, as the price of energy suggests a significant saving linked to lowered energy consumption. And, to keep consistency running and improved energy efficiency maintained, one cannot run a business with service interruptions or intervals for the end users.
Not too long ago the environmental influence of a data centre was largely ignored. However, today information published by the energy conservation agency suggests that data centres are responsible for consuming a fair amount of energy in the business and the community in total. With increasing energy figures and tighter environmental laws, going green seems to be on most businesses priority list. Not only to reduce have costs and increasing sustainability, but also as a way to cut down legislative risked too.
Sometimes, you need to speculate to accumulate, so don't let the cost of a data centre cooling system discourage you from implementing a greener solution. An environmentally friendly data centre can offer many benefits and put your business ahead of the eco trend. Let's look at a few ways on how you can make your business greener:
1) Analyse your Energy Consumption
Assess your data centre's use of energy. Look for the patterns of consumption and ask questions like what are the distribution channels and how and where is the energy being consumed the most? In other words, collate your energy bills and find out where you receive your energy and how your data centre uses it. Having answers to these types of questions will help you greatly in creating an educated approach and plan to cut down energy wastage. This type of analysis can also serve as a starting point for determining your return on investment after the amends to your energy plan have been applied.
2) Re-evaluate your redundancy
Redundant circuits and power parts consume large amounts of energy for each kilowatt of energy generated. Most businesses are inclined to incur extra cost on redundant cooling and heating systems, which are kept as a standby for peak hours. It is important to cut back on such usage of energy and put your efforts into current requirements and therefore save on your energy outlay and cots.
3) Storage Virtualisation
Storage virtualisation means you can shutdown unused servers and have the mobility of applications. It makes information transfer easier and more effective. By greatly reducing the quantity of physical servers, you can increase the user level of existing servers.
4) Combine your servers
Data centres can achieve even greater savings by combining their existing servers. It is estimated that at any point 10-30% of servers in an business are either dormant or non-functional, and can be turned off. Cost savings from removing servers can add up quickly 'consolidating your servers can help you save many pounds over the period of a year in direct energy costs, and with cooling costs.
5) Improve to more energy-efficient tools and technology
Choosing energy star-rated appliances and equipment makes sense when you are trying to create your eco-friendly data centre. IT departments are swiftly selecting equipment that is more energy-efficient so they can maximise operational and capital.
The right efforts and tenacity are the important elements to setting up an environmentally friendly data centre. However, your business needs to remember that a green data centre is not a limited plan with an end and is more of an ongoing strategy that gives rewards in the form of reduced expenditure and better sustainability and an improved public image and reputation.
(1) http://www.greenerideal.com/business/0303-greenifying-your-data-center
