Abstract
Report Synopsis
“It is almost certain that over the next 12 - 24 months a range of Data
Centre related environmental standards and laws will be released in most
developed countries.”
With an increased demand for services, more and more IT hardware is being
deployed in data centre facilities. As a result, concern current focuses on
spiralling energy consumption and costs, and dwindling capacity, and data
centres are attracting increased scrutiny from CIOs, CFOs, the general public,
politicians, regulatory bodies, lobbyists and mass media. Cost and corporate
responsibility have produced pressure to make data centres “greener” and
ecologically friendly, reduce carbon emissions and develop sustainable IT
policies.
Researched over a period of five months, this timely report is the first ever
to analyse the drivers and issues confronting data centres in their quest to
go green, and describes the practicalities of implementing green strategies.
Public pressure, legislation on statute books (and the unknown requirements
yet to be defined and imposed) have collectively shifted the green argument to
the forefront, and MNCs, a key user of data centres, are already making the
enforcement of environmental objectives a key part of business competitive
strategy:
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that most of the large tenders in the Data
Centre space issued since the end of 2006 include environmental impact and
corporate responsibilities as essential assessment criteria.”
The report provides a comprehensive review of the drivers behind the “Green
Data Centre”, assess the current trends in facilities design, and the advances
in Data Centre related hardware and services. The report includes case studies
of environmentally friendly Data Centres and can be used a reference by a wide
audience.
Defining the characteristics of green data centres - and potential advantages
to companies adopting these policies - the report assesses inefficiencies in
the data centre (“an average Data Centre is using around 50 times more energy
than an office block”), server proliferation and rising data centre density.
2010 is looking to be a point it says, at which power and cooling costs will
overtake hardware expenditures.
However a range of initiatives are under way and detailed in the report, much
of it originating in the US, including the Environmental Protection Agency' s
(EPA) Energy Star programme and the LEED Building programme. The viability of
“green” Data Centres is assessed from both design and technology perspectives
and vendor responses to the environmental issues facing the Data Centres is
included. Building design is also discussed, and the report includes case
studies of Fannie Mae and Highdeal, the first certified green data centres in
the US.
The core of the report looks at the practical implementation of green data
centres and takes readers through the processes they must address in
formulating green strategies across a wide range of criteria. An outline list
of recommendations for data centres to follow is included. The report also
documents the range of power resources available including the experimental.
“Unfortunately,” says the report, “there is no single recipe
how to get to the green Data Centre nirvana,” however a series of
recommendations are provided for data centre managers. Green is becoming a
significant factor in designing new Data Centres as well as refurbishing
existing facilities. The main driving forces however are operational cost
savings, and the threat that companies may be penalised in the future for
excessive carbon footprints.
Before embarking on any change or new build, the report recommends firms to
conduct due diligence to ensure they future proof as much as possible and
mitigate costs that may be incurred later for failure to comply with carbon
emission legislation, as well as keeping track of emerging standards.
Overall the report neatly brings together a global purview of the evolution of
green data centres, and the many issues involved in the current debate and
offers a methodical review and recommendations of steps for data centre
managers to take in their quest to be “green”.
Report Takeaways
- First Green Data centre prospectus
- Market drivers for Green
- Key issues in going green
- Initiatives underway globally
- Practical guide to going Green
- 22 Tables and Charts
- 136pp
Who Should Buy this Report
All operators, service providers and suppliers engaged in the Wholesale Market
- Data Centre operators
- Colocation and Hosting Companies
- Integrators
- Infrastructure and Connectivity Providers
- Blade Server Suppliers
- Power, Heating and Cooling Suppliers
- Security service providers
- Application service companies
- Regulatory Organisations
- Law Firms
- Consultancies
- Financial and Investment Services Organisations
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Research Methodology and Report Objectives
SECTION 1: Green Data Centre drivers
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Business and technology drivers
- 2.1 Overview
- 2.2 Some cool statistics
- 2.3 Cost savings
- 2.4 Sustainability and corporate responsibility
- 2.5 Legislation changes
- 2.5.1 USA
- 2.5.2 European Union
- 2.5.3 Australia
- 2.6 Environmental changes
- 2.7 Energy availability and studies
- 2.8 Benchmarks and standards
- 2.8.1 SPEC
- 2.8.2 Energy Star and related initiatives
- 2.8.3 Building standards
- 2.8.4 Recycling standards
- 3. Facilities and infrastructure design
- 3.1 The Green Grid
- 3.2 Chip manufacturers
- 3.3 Virtualisation
- 3.4 IT vendors
- 3.5 Power
- 3.6 Cooling
- 3.7 Cabling
- 4. Building design
- 4.1 Fannie Mae
- 4.2 Highmark
- 5. “Green” Data Centre vendors
- 6. “Green” consulting services
- 6.1 IBM
- 6.2 Syska Hennessy Group
SECTION 2: Green Data Centre in practical terms
- 7. Key Strategies
- 7.1 Stocktaking
- 7.2 Virtualisation
- 7.3 Cooling and power efficiency
- 7.3.1 Cooling efficiency
- 7.3.2 Power efficiency
- 7.4 Data Centre design
- 7.4.1 General considerations
- 7.4.2 Raised floor
- 7.4.3 Power distribution
- 7.4.4 Power generation
- 7.4.5 Cooling and air conditioning
- 7.4.6 Air and water - side economisers
- 7.5 Hardware selection
- 7.5.1 IT equipment
- 7.5.2 Facilities equipment
- 7.6 Process improvement
- 7.7 A balanced approach
- 8. Technology changes
- 9. Examples and case studies of “green” Data Centres
- 9.1 Highmark and Fannie Mae
- 9.1.1 Highmark
- 9.1.2 Fannie Mae 7
- 9.2 Solar powered Data Centres
- 9.2.1 AISO.Net
- 9.2.2 Thinkhost
- 9.3 Geothermal and hydroelectric powered Data Centres
- 9.4 Wind powered Data Centres
- 9.5 Other Case Studies
- 9.5.1 Quebecor and NetApp
- 9.5.2 Microsoft
- 9.5.3 Rackspace
- 9.5.4 Yahoo
- 9.5.5 Power co-generation
SECTION 3: Conclusion and Recommendations
- 10. Conclusion
- 11. Summary & Recommendations
- 11.1 General Recommendations
- 11.2 Site Selection
- 11.3 Site Design and Raised Floor Layout
- 11.4 Electrical infrastructure
- 11.5 Mechanical infrastructure
- 11.6 Cabling infrastructure
- 11.7 Fire protection
- 11.8 IT systems
- 11.9 Data Centre operations and management
- 12. Useful Resources
- 12.1 General environmental resources
- 12.2 General media resources
- 12.3 Building and construction resources
- 12.4 Technology - related resources
- 12.5 General Data Centre resources
APPENDIX ONE
List of Charts and Tables
DIAGRAMS
- Diagram 1. Power distribution within the Data Centre
- Diagram 2. Impact of Power and Cooling on Data Centre Infrastructure
- Diagram 3. Comparison of server purchase costs vs. power and cooling costs
- Diagram 4. Trends in server growth, power demand, power costs and Data
Centre densities
- Diagram 5. Original power trend projections
- Diagram 6. Updated power trend projections
- Diagram 7. Server shipments in Asia Pacific by price band
- Diagram 8. Extrapolation of power and hardware costs for low end servers
- Diagram 9. Changes in greenhouse gases
- Diagram 10. Changes in temperature, sea level and snow cover
- Diagram 11. US federal R&D funding
- Diagram 12. Dependency of UPS efficiency on electrical load
- Diagram 13. Energy losses between power generator and IT equipment
- Diagram 14. Cooling hierarchy
- Diagram 15. Exterior of the Highmark Data Centre and Operations Centre
- Diagram 16. Hallmark Data Centre: mechanical plant and UPS battery room
- Diagram 17. Fannie Mae Data Centre
TABLES
- Table 1. Assessment of the likely effect of climate changes
- Table 2. Power saving examples
- Table 3. Cooling saving examples
- Table 4. Comparison of fibre switches power efficiency
- Table 5. Benefits of server consolidation
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