The Challenge of Data Centers Going Green While Still Retaining Efficiency
The unrelenting growth of the data center landscape is being driven by the constant need for more cloud and IoT services. Usually, growth and development are a good thing in business, however in regards to data centers it means increasing power output to stay in operational. The type of power the data center uses and way in which it’s used can have unfavorable effects on the environment. If faster implementation of more energy efficient sources does not take place, researchers expect that data centers will use 20 percent of the world’s energy by 2025. Recently, more businesses have become more environmentally conscious of their carbon footprints. Considering what green data centers can offer is becoming an important part of the conditions for choosing a cloud provider or service.
The Challenge of Data Centers Going Green While Still Retaining Efficiency
The unrelenting growth of the data center landscape is being driven by the constant need for more cloud and IoT services. Usually, growth and development are a good thing in business, however in regards to data centers it means increasing power output to stay in operational. The type of power the data center uses and way in which it’s used can have unfavorable effects on the environment.If faster implementation of more energy efficient sources does not take place, researchers expect that data centers will use 20 percent of the world’s energy by 2025. Recently, more businesses have become more environmentally conscious of their carbon footprints. Considering what green data centers can offer is becoming an important part of the conditions for choosing a cloud provider or service.
Microsoft Plans to Eliminate Diesel Generators by 2030
Microsoft plans to eliminate its dependence on diesel powered generators by 2030 as part of its initiative to remove its carbon footprint. The goal to be 100% green in the next decade has major implications for their data centers, many of which use diesel powered generators for emergency backup power.
For years now, Microsoft has been working on developing effective alternatives to the use of diesel generators, wanting to make its data centers more sustainable and less reliant on the utility grid. With its new deadline of 2030, Microsoft sets a momentum to either substitute their generators with cleaner technologies, or eradicate them completely.
Learn how Microsoft has experimented with submersible energy efficient data centers.
Why is it important for data centers to go green?
The storage requirements for new data being created does not automatically suggest a new hardware requirement. However, all new data still needs a place to be secured, cooled, and transmitted efficiently. The process of upgrading data centers often includes increasing physical space for new equipment, all of which must be lit, cooled, and secured.
Since data centers require constant uptime, many run around the clock, whether they’re being used or not. With fans, consoles, monitors, lights, and cooling systems running 24/7, data centers require large amounts of energy.
Read our guide to increasing data center energy efficiency.
How can data centers reduce their environmental impact?
Even though reducing energy consumption in the data center helps the environment, it also has significant financial benefits the data center owner. The cost of energy has risen year over year for decades and doesn’t show any signs of slowing, which is why high energy industries are always looking for new ways to reduce their usage. With data center operators determined to lower costs in a variety of ways and lessen environmental impact, there are always ways to go green. We’ve put together a few of our own below.
Upgrade Equipment
The funny thing about using older equipment is that it may not have been energy efficient to begin with. As it starts to wear over time, there is a high probability of it needing more energy to keep running. In a world of constant technological improvements, there’s always newer equipment is available to use, which is more energy efficient.
Looking to sell obsolete equipment? Let us help you get the money you deserve.
Power Down Unused Servers
When a business decides to partner with a managed service provider that uses a data center as its service offering, it provides a specified amount of storage that the business requires. The facility will then assign suitable space. Normally, a data center will distribute extra space in hope of expansion, which is often done automatically, not at the request of the customer. Although this provides room for customer growth, it also creates dead server space until that expansion occurs.
A California-based IT consultant group surveyed more than 16,000 servers tucked into closets and basements and found that approximately a quarter were in “sleep mode”, drawing power without really doing any work. Green data centers power down these unused servers, lowering energy consumption, and costs, resulting in lower customer fees.
Need help offloading unused or retired servers? We can help with that.
Power on Demand
A main reason why data centers are so costly is that they have overhead for power use estimates. Green data centers eradicate this unneeded expense by using power on demand. They make this possible by continuous monitoring and analysis so they only use the amount of power they truly need. Specialized tools are also available that allow green data centers to recover unused power and redistribute it to other areas in need.
