Cooling and Power Costs in IT

Cooling Costs

• Cooling accounts for up to 63% of IT department power usage.
• Spending on cooling should be carefully considered.
• Power is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
• A 100-watt lightbulb uses 100 watt-hours in 60 minutes (1 kWh/hour for 10 bulbs).
• Electricity costs vary regionally.

Power Costs

• Electricity is paid for per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
• Examples include a 100-watt bulb to determine hourly electricity costs.
• A basic electrical device (lightbulb) is used as an example to illustrate the concept.
• Table showing commercial power costs in 2006 and 2007 (cents per kWh) for different regions in the US. (specific values not extracted).
• International Data Corp. (IDC) estimated $29 billion spent on cooling datacenters in 2007; a 400% increase from 2000.

Causes of Cost Increase

• Increased server and storage device deployment increases power consumption.
• Increased heat density in racks due to higher computing power in limited space leads to higher cooling costs.

Calculating Cooling Needs

• Equipment, lighting, and personnel generate heat (e.g., measured in BTUs or kW).
• 1kW = 3412 BTUs.
• Room cooling calculation formula (Room Area BTU = Length (m) × Width (m) × 337).
• Use this to calculate the cooling needs of the room. (details of variables are not extracted).
• Window formulas for inclusion in the calculation in cases where windows have south or north facing windows which need to be accounted for.
• Heat load calculation considers room size, windows, and people in the room.
• 400 BTUs per person in the room to be considered for the total heat load. (formula is not extracted)
• Equipment BTU = Total wattage for all equipment × 3.5
• Lighting BTU = Total wattage for all lighting × 4.25
• Total Heat Load = Room Area BTU + Windows BTU + Total Occupant BTU + Equipment BTU + Lighting BTU

Reducing Cooling Costs

• Deploy equipment that uses less power to reduce cooling needs.
• Methods to reduce costs are offered.

On-Demand Cooling

• On-demand cooling systems are becoming increasingly common.
• Air-to-air coolers are smaller and wheeled into rooms for temporary cooling.
• Water-based units are larger and connect to a water source and drain.

Optimizing Airflow

• Proper airflow exchange in high-density datacenters is crucial, requiring 50 times/hour of exchange.
• Hot/cold aisle configuration is discussed, directing airflow.
• Cables are routed in hot aisles to minimize disruption of airflow.
• Implementing vapor barriers is critical to controlling humidity.
• Recirculation of equipment exhaust should be prevented.

Supply Air Directly to Heat Sources

• Using the correct air diffusers to deliver cooling directly to heat-generating equipment is important.
• Correct placement of supply and return vents is essential to efficient cooling.
• Avoid placing vents near heat exhausts.
• Minimize air leaks in a raised-floor datacenter to maintain temperature control.

Providing Enough Supply of Cooling:

• Under-floor supply plenums must be adequately sized for effective cooling in datacenters.

Fans

• Fans should be checked for efficient operation to minimize energy consumption in cooling systems.
• Using low pressure drop systems and auxiliary fans can improve fan efficiency.

Humidity

• Using proper humidity sensors and maintaining an ideal humidity level is essential for datacenter equipment.
• Establish a schedule to calibrate sensors. (details are not extracted).
• Avoid use of multiple humidity sources battling each other and making systems inefficient.

Adding cooling

• Sufficient cooling capacity is needed for "equipment-dense" datacenters.
• Fluid-based cooling (chilled water or refrigerant) for heat transport. (Advantages/Disadvantages are listed for each)

Green Design Principles

• Design equipment for upgradability.
• Design for minimal power consumption.
• Design for recycling of components.
• Includes recommendations for how to build a green datacenter.

Recycling

• Methods for recycling computers.
• Discusses the role of recycling companies/operations involved. (types of recyclers are extracted).

Hard Drive Recycling

• Methods for safely removing data.

Consequences of Data Handling/Disposal

• Possible harm to a company/organization if the data is handled improperly.

Green PCs

• Key features: Energy efficiency, sustainable materials, reduced e-waste.
• Benefits: Reduced carbon footprint, enhanced reputation, reduced costs.

Green Notebooks

• Key features: Recycled materials, sustainable paper, minimal packaging, non-toxic ink.
• Benefits: Reduced deforestation, lower carbon footprint, reduced e-waste.

Green Servers

• Key features: Energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable materials, reduced e-waste, low carbon footprint.
• Benefits: Reduced costs, sustainability improvements.

Green Data Centers

• Focus on reducing environmental impact.
• Energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable design, waste reduction, water conservation, and management monitoring are some key components.
• Also addresses cloud computing solutions as well as overall design aspects.

Green Data Storage

• Focus on energy-efficient hardware (SSD, hard drives), virtualization, storage optimization (reducing redundancy), and sustainable practices.
• Highlights various considerations such as minimizing overall energy consumption, balancing growing demands of storage with environmental concerns and using recycling procedures.

Green Software

• Focus on minimizing energy consumption, optimizing code, and considering the environmental impact (during the entire lifespan).
• A crucial way to minimize environmental effect of software.

Green Networking and Communication

• Energy efficiency (efficient network devices, protocols).
• Resource management (waste reduction), sustainable technologies (energy-efficient equipment).
• Virtualization, renewable energy for power, and reduced e-waste are also highlighted.