Danel Turk, Information Centres Portfolio Supervisor at ABB, discusses key concerns for knowledge centre managers and operators trying to construct, develop or broaden their amenities in an economical, sustainable method.
One of many greatest challenges dealing with knowledge centres at this time is the rising energy demand from an growing reliance on digital companies and AI. For instance, knowledge centres are predicted to account for 28% of Eire’s nationwide demand by 2031, in keeping with EirGrid, and 15% of Denmark’s by 2030, in keeping with the IEA.
The explosion of AI companies – equivalent to ChatGPT – are a giant trigger of accelerating energy demand and can proceed to be as AI develops. An estimate locations AI’s annual vitality consumption between 85 and 134 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2027 – equal to that of the Netherlands or 0.5% of world vitality consumption.
Given the pressing requirement to accommodate this, what methods can knowledge centre operators make use of to satisfy their sustainability objectives cost-effectively?
Assume ‘whole price of possession‘
The very first thing that ought to underline any consideration for development is a complete price of possession (TCO) mindset.
In comparison with a extra conventional view of separating capital and operational expenditure, TCO includes calculating and assessing all direct and oblique prices related to buying, working, and sustaining an asset over its total lifecycle. In different phrases, a TCO mindset sees future working price financial savings as web current worth.
For instance, investing extra in energy safety and conditioning gear – like an uninterruptible energy provide (UPS) – proactively maximises efficiencies, optimises vitality consumption, and minimises the danger of expensive downtime. Equally, if a bit of kit will probably be operating nonstop for 15 or 20 years, investing in a extra vitality environment friendly mannequin will end in vital long-term price and emissions financial savings.
As international energy demand for knowledge centres will increase, operators that undertake a TCO mindset will maximise their long-term vitality and price financial savings.
Embracing modularity
One consideration is modularity. When constructing a brand new knowledge centre or increasing an current one, fairly than doing it unexpectedly, modular options allow knowledge centres to construct in blocks. For instance, increase a projected 200-megawatt (MW) knowledge centre in 20 MW sections.
A modular strategy helps when negotiating with the native utility and authorities, as they’re extra more likely to approve smaller incremental development.
This sort of scalability permits knowledge centres to develop sustainably with demand and availability of energy whereas simplifying the specification and set up course of. It’s cost-effective as a result of you’ll be able to enhance demand as extra prospects are onboarded. This avoids wasted capability and optimises your income stream.
Modular, prefabricated merchandise – equivalent to, eHouses and skids – are constructed off-site and manufacturing unit examined earlier than being delivered as an built-in answer. This minimises threat of points and potential downtime.
Additionally they incorporate normal blocks of energy which could be repeated simply. This implies they are often put in and commissioned shortly and effectively.
Further cost-savings may also be achieved by saving on transport and set up when shopping for one prefabricated product fairly than plenty of particular person parts that require meeting.
Shifting to medium voltage
An increase in energy demand can also be making medium-voltage (MV) gear more and more viable and cost-effective. For instance, in comparison with a low-voltage (LV) UPS, an MV UPS can present energy safety for the entire knowledge centre, not simply the racks. They’re additionally sometimes extra vitality environment friendly than their LV counterparts, leading to long-term price financial savings and a greater TCO.
MV UPSs may also be put in in a modular method. This avoids having dozens of LV UPSs that require common servicing and upkeep, making MV expertise more cost effective. For instance, you’ll be able to parallel 10, 2.5 megawatt (MVA) UPS blocks to create a 25 MVA system. Doing this permits quick deployment of extra items, growing general system capability with out extra complexity. This additionally facilitates cables with a smaller cross-section, minimising upfront expenditure and bettering TCO.
Higher with BESS
Growing energy demand locations stress on knowledge centre operators to remain sustainable as they broaden. Battery vitality storage techniques (BESS) may help right here by lowering the necessity for diesel gensets as they facilitate the mixing of renewable vitality sources, like wind and photo voltaic.
Nonetheless, 4 hours of uptime would want a whole lot of batteries, so it’s necessary to outline what it’s essential keep away from over-specifying. For instance, a BESS may optimise renewables by storing extra vitality from photo voltaic panels for later use.
As knowledge centres demand increasingly more energy, much less is obtainable for surrounding properties and companies. A BESS can fight this stress on knowledge centres by offering load shifting and frequency response to the grid – serving to negotiation with the native utility, and probably creating new income streams by way of give-back schemes throughout occasions of peak demand.
AI’s rising affect
Whereas AI is driving energy demand, mockingly it might probably additionally assist make knowledge centres extra dependable, productive, and environment friendly by means of optimised cooling, predictive situation monitoring, knowledge entry and switch, and demand balancing.
Step one in attaining that is connectivity. A typical mid-to-large knowledge centre can have a whole bunch of 1000’s of monitoring factors. An automation system operating an AI suite can maintain observe of all these on the similar time and supply operators a holistic overview of knowledge centre efficiency – together with vitality use and asset well being.
For instance, it might probably present operators with a view of the entire cooling system – each the upstream chiller and the distribution system. These are sometimes seen in a siloed method, in order that any operator making an effectivity enchancment to 1 may very well be reducing the effectivity of the opposite. An automation system lets operators see holistically how one impacts the opposite. So, operators could make extra knowledgeable choices that intention to enhance the effectivity of the whole system.
Maintaining a tally of SF6
Impending rules wish to take away SF6 from electrical gear as a result of it might probably leak to the environment, the place it has a worldwide warming potential round 25,000 occasions larger than CO2. In addition to getting forward of rules, shifting to SF6-free gear makes sustainability reporting simpler and could be extra simple to take care of and recycle on the finish of its life.
Making an affect
By contemplating these strategic approaches, knowledge centre managers and operators can meet rising energy calls for whereas additionally sustaining their dedication to sustainability and controlling prices. As the necessity for AI and digital companies grows, these practices will probably be pivotal in guaranteeing that knowledge centres contribute positively to the worldwide vitality panorama.
