Data Center Handbook

1Data Centers—Strategic Planning, Design, Construction, and Operations

Hwaiyu Geng

Amica Association, Palo Alto, CA, USA

1.1 Introduction

In a typical data center, electrical energy is used to operate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and its supporting facilities. About 45% of electrical energy is consumed by ICT equipment, which includes servers, storages, and networks. The other 55% of electrical energy is consumed by facilities, which include power distribution system, uninterruptible power supplies, chillers, computer room air conditioners, lights, and so on. Improving power consumption by ICT equipment and facilities is imperative for efficient use of energy. Many studies have proven increasing greenhouse gases due to human activities resulting in global warming.

1.1.1 Data Centers and Global Warming

A study by the journal Science estimates that, from 1992 to 2012, the melting ice from Greenland and Antarctica has raised the global sea level by 11.1 mm (0.43 in.). Rising sea levels have gained more attention from the flooding caused by the superstorm Sandy in 2012 that struck the heavily populated U.S. East Coast.

A report titled Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis [1], prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN’s Environment Program, states as follows: “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented ...