As companies explore ways to become more sustainable, data centers are frequently a focus. However, reducing carbon footprint and energy costs can be a challenge.
Thankfully, innovative technologies are helping data centers to achieve sustainability goals without impacting performance. These solutions include liquid immersion cooling, implementing hot aisle containment strategies and economizers, and employing virtualization and consolidation techniques.
Cooling
Cooling is the biggest expendable draw of data center electricity, and it’s a natural place to start when looking to make your site greener. Upgrade to an air-free cooling solution like GRC’s liquid immersion, and you’ll improve your PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) score while cutting electricity use by a fraction.
Smarter servers are another key component of a green data center. Energy-efficient hardware is more capable while using less power, and it’s great for the environment.
Green data centers also monitor energy usage and carbon emissions to optimize performance and lower costs. And they implement strategies like water reuse to reduce reliance on external sources.
Renewable Energy
All those photos and files you save to the cloud aren’t really up there – they’re stored at a data center somewhere, where they need to be hardwired into hardware before being accessible for download. Keeping this hardware cool takes an incredible amount of energy, but the right cooling solutions can keep servers running efficiently without burning holes in the ozone layer.
Green data centers integrate renewable energy sources to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. They also invest in efficiency measures, such as hot aisle containment and economizers, to maximize resource utilization. They also implement virtualization and consolidation to reduce the number of physical servers, which in turn lowers energy consumption and space requirements.
Sustainability isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for business, too. Companies that prioritize sustainability can build a reputation for environmental stewardship and attract environmentally aware clients and investors. Moreover, sustainable data centers can save on operational costs by optimizing operations, reducing redundancy, and minimizing waste.
Monitoring
In addition to optimizing power utilization and reducing energy costs, green data centers must also be constantly monitored for any potential issues that could result in lower performance. Using smarter monitoring tools, including integrated data center management systems (IDCM), can help to identify areas of improvement and reduce overall IT infrastructure costs.
Energy efficiency: Utilize intelligent PDUs to monitor power distribution and enable effective load balancing. Upgrade to energy-efficient hardware such as servers, storage devices and network equipment. Implement containment strategies and aisle containment to minimize cooling requirements. Eliminate unnecessary IT equipment by deploying server virtualization and consolidation, which can reduce total equipment energy demands.
Renewable energy integration: Integrate solar panels or wind turbines to produce clean on-site electricity. Make efforts to offset remaining emissions with carbon credits or participate in a carbon offset program. Water conservation: Minimize the use of water for cooling to reduce operating expenses and benefit local water quality.
Design
Data centers consume significant amounts of energy, contributing to climate change. By implementing green best practices, companies can reduce their carbon footprint and improve operational efficiency. This can lead to lower electricity bills and cost savings, reduced maintenance requirements, and the opportunity to earn green certifications and business rewards.
Invest in renewable energy sources to power data center operations. Implement energy management systems to monitor equipment and optimize usage during off-peak hours. Use cooling technologies that minimize power and air-conditioning costs. Upgrade to energy-efficient hardware, including servers and other appliances. Improve cable management and use aisle containment to maintain hot/cold air separation, reducing power consumption.
Green data centers provide a number of benefits to organizations of all sizes, from lowering energy costs and reducing emissions to improving brand image and attracting government incentives in developed countries. The best way to ensure you make the most of your investment in green data center technology is to consult with a ThomasTech products expert.