By Ganesh Kothawade, Local Division Manager, Distribution Solutions India business, ABB India
In our always-on world, data centres play a crucial role in running several thousands of applications at scale to make our lives easier. There are roughly 8,000 data centres in the world, which together account for around one per cent of total global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). This also means that emission levels from these facilities are almost at par with whole industry segments such as chemicals and aviation.
Our world has become increasingly data-intensive with the growing adoption of applications such as video streaming and artificial intelligence (AI) that rely on energy-hungry graphics processing units (GPUs). Driven by these trends, data centre energy demand is expected to increase 160 per cent by the end of this decade. From 1-2 per cent of global electricity consumption today, we are likely to touch 3-4 per cent by 2030. As the digital revolution continues, bringing an explosion of demand for data and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, the demand for data centres is only set to grow.
Given the growing global emphasis on carbon neutrality and sustainability, the ‘greening’ of data centres is a huge priority, especially as their footprint continues to grow. However, while the surging demand for data centre capacity presents a challenge, it’s also an opportunity. By embracing energyefficient technologies and automation, data centres can become key players in the energy transition, ensuring a sustainable future for the digital age.
The Switchgear play not only an important role in power distribution and protection but also can play an important role in increasing efficiency & sustainability of the system. Using CT/VT sensors in a switchgear reduces the energy consumption when compared to conventional CT/VT and results in savings for our customers. Thus, the switchgear does play an important role in overall efficiency of the system. Our centralised protection system makes the protection system much more user friendly and efficiency where the compete substation can be controlled from a single device. MV switchgear also have a possibility to integrate the monitoring & diagnostic system which then provides predictive analytics related to health of switchgear, hence avoiding any potential downtime. Such features are a powerful addition to switchgear functionalities.
Data centres are driven by cost considerations to enhance energy efficiency, but additional sustainability practices can contribute to further progress and reduced costs.
Building sustainable data centres
There are several ways to meet sustainability goals of data centres. These could range from monitoring energy use to implementing sustainable and innovative technologies to reducing power consumption. Digitalisation has a prominent role to play in helping data centres meet their sustainability targets.
It is time to invest in technologies that improve energy efficiency and lower the carbon footprint such as using variable frequency drives to optimise cooling via segregation of cooling paths. Such changes can potentially reduce overall IT and infrastructure by 15% and allow us to continue the progression towards carbon neutrality.
Reducing carbon footprint
A growing number of manufacturers are developing energy-efficient solutions by updating legacy equipment with modern digitalised products, reducing an operation’s carbon footprint. SF6-free switchgear offers a sustainable alternative since it is designed to help minimise greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining high performance levels. For eg. 150 tonnes of CO2 can be saved over service life of typical 15 panel board if Current/Voltage sensors are used in MV AIS switchgear instead of conventional current/voltage transformer. Our SF6 free 11kV GIS & SGIS has a GWP <1.
Digital switchgear
In addition to replacing conventional switchgear with more environmentally friendly SF6-free digital medium-voltage switchgear, digital switchgear can make a big difference. Digital switchgear that combines proven technologies with digital components and software solutions can enhance safety and reduce energy costs. Most importantly, these upgrades can reduce the space needed and optimise operational costs by up to 30% while constantly detecting condition and maintenance needs.
Digitalised equipment features multiple sensors to measure parameters such as temperature and humidity and indicate when conditions change. When coupled with information on electrical device utilisation and operating cycles, digital switchgear can help closely monitor the health of data centres. This can help predict potential failures before they occur or alert when maintenance is needed, thus avoiding costly or unnecessary downtime.
Circularity
When it comes time to decommission equipment, adopting a circularity mindset is important. Innovations that aid circular business models can help cut waste, increase recyclability and reusability, and make products more durable. Embedding circularity across the value chain is crucial to driving the effectiveness of this approach.
Reliability
Reliability is key to reducing a facility’s carbon footprint. Several factors affect data centre reliability, these include parameters such as power conditions, inadequate cooling, equipment failure, natural and artificial disasters, or human errors. Reliability means addressing all these factors to ensure that the data centre performs as always expected.
Efficiency in the power supply unit
In a data centre, power drawn by a data centre facility typically passes through UPS and power distribution units (PDUs) before it reaches the IT equipment. The power supply unit (PSU), which converts incoming alternating current (AC) power to direct current (DC), consumes about 25 per cent of the server’s power budget. The other power guzzlers are the point-of-load voltage regulators that convert the incoming 12V DC into the various DC voltages fed to processors and multiple chipsets. There are several industry standards, such as “Class 80+”, aimed at improving the efficiency of server components.
Since the PDUs generally operate at a high efficiency of 94 to 98 per cent, energy efficiency is primarily dictated by power conversion in the UPS. When evaluating a UPS, experts rely on an efficiency curve to evaluate UPS systems based on utilisation levels. Advances in UPS power electronics therefore focus on shaping the efficiency curve to be consistently higher across the range of loading. Also, when a UPS operates at 240/415V with a three-phase four wire output power, then the power can be fed directly into the server, resulting in an incremental two per cent reduction in facility energy consumption.
ABB’s complete electrical portfolio provides data centres with efficient and reliable energy while reducing carbon emissions. These products and systems also offer visibility on the facility’s electrical network and provide crucial insights that can help monitor and manage power usage. ABB offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions designed to increase power density and optimise energy use — from substations to power protection, from cabling to cooling, and more. Sustainable and energyefficient digital solutions portfolio that provides reliability and asset intelligence to avoid customer operational disruption.
With so many external factors at play, data centres can enhance asset management and monitoring to provide equipment efficiency and optimal resource usage because what’s at stake affects us all. Those who implement energy-efficient solutions will reap the cost-benefits and help yield a more sustainable world.