ADC datacentre exploits outdoor air for cooling
Published: 05 Aug 2008 11:22 BST
Advanced Data Centers believes the answer to cooling datacentres is blowing in the wind.
Rather than relying exclusively on air conditioners to push cold air from beneath computer racks, a facility being built by the datacentre developer will pipe in outdoor air for cooling for most of the year.
ADC on Tuesday detailed the workings of the facility, which, it said, will be the first platinum-level Leed-certified datacentre-hosting facility.
The Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, provided by the US Green Building Council, rates buildings on a range of environmental factors, including energy and water usage, materials and site location. The platinum rating is the highest rating given.
Advanced Data Centers (ADC) claimed that its McClellan Park facility in Sacramento, California, will be 25 to 30 percent more energy-efficient than the industry standard. The building is now under construction and is set to take tenants in the first quarter of next year.
The building will achieve that efficiency not through esoteric computer technology but by architectural design.
The datacentre will use outside air to cool its racks of computing gear for 75 percent of the year, which significantly decreases its cooling needs, said ADC president Michel Cohen. Ducts and pipes will be laid to maximise flow and minimise turns that reduce efficiency.
ADC is also looking ahead at emerging energy-efficiency techniques. Customers will have the option of using water to cool their equipment, for example.
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Planners are also keeping their eyes on direct-current wiring and equipment to lower electricity usage, as well as fuel cells for on-site power generation, said Bob Seese, the company's chief datacentre architect.
ADC has structured its billing so that customers pay a percentage of the cooling costs, which gives customers an incentive to use energy-efficient technology like virtualisation.
"A year ago, the board and investors made it very clear they felt that [green design] was the right direction for the corporation to take," Seese said. "And customers are demanding it right now."
The Sacramento facility will also have a number of water-saving features, including the ability to capture nearly all its rainwater run-off for landscaping, its cooling towers and bathroom fixtures.
Paints and sealants without volatile organic compounds will be used in the building, as well as porous and reflective materials to avoid absorbing heat.
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