Louis McGarry, Sales & Marketing Director at Centiel UK, explores why data centres need to better monitor and manage their energy consumption, as well as embracing renewables, to meet the power needs of the future.

According to the National Grid, the combined consumption of energy from the UK and US is set to increase by 50% by 2036 and to double by 2050.  

Data centres significantly contribute to society’s overall power consumption. The largest hyperscale data centres in the world can currently consume more than 100 MW of energy, which is roughly equivalent to the same power needed to supply a US city of 160,000 people for a year. The fact is that we need to be smarter in the way we manage and use our finite resources and look at how to harness renewable energy better.

Energy costs are likely to remain high, but this is probably one of the best things to happen to drive the sustainability agenda forward if we have any chance of even getting close to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, a date which is now frighteningly close.  

In short, data centres need to consider efficient running strategies like never before. Plugging into smart grids can offer one answer.  

What is a smart grid?

A smart grid is the infrastructure to provide two-way communication between the power provider and the data centre. Intelligent communication can improve delivery and distribution of power to optimise energy efficiency.  

For the data centre, the infrastructure includes all the equipment deployed and it needs to be managed and monitored effectively. This approach also offers the key to taking advantage of alternative and renewable energy sources through the smarter use of equipment and also better controlling the amount of energy burned.

Adapting existing infrastructure can often be more challenging than designing and building from scratch, as all equipment will need to be assessed, monitored and improved from the ground up. I’m not just talking about the UPS solution. Everything from the cable into the building to the load itself will all need to be considered, managed and monitored.

However, imagine the future: a data centre that discharges its energy storage banks every day and recharges with free renewable energy. Not only do the batteries support the load, but stored energy could be used to offset and run the whole data centre, ultimately achieving net zero.

This reality may not be so far away. We are currently working on a data centre project which could be completed as early as the end of 2024 which will take 50% power from the grid and 50% from batteries, with the ultimate aim of recharging through renewable sources, such as wind and solar.  Peak shaving will ensure reduced energy is taken from the grid, while batteries simultaneously discharge during high rate demand.

The data centre will be able to take advantage of tax credits for this approach and, over time, the cost savings on mains electricity will be immense. Although this project is being driven by cost, it is also green – and if rolled out across the entire facility, it will contribute significantly to the data centre’s net zero path.

The key point is that the UPS must be ready to accept alternative sources of energy. It is not a case of buying any box, then plug and play. Integration with systems in the data centre is necessary, but it is all possible.  

In the decades to come, it may not just be wind and solar used to power data centres. While hydrogen fuel cells are not tried and tested in our industry, they may offer potential; we have worked on at least one hydrogen cell powered UPS project already. However, it was not without its challenges and a better current alternative for many facilities is Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries.

Li-ion batteries, unlike traditional VRLA batteries, are capable of thousands of cycles but they have legitimate safety concerns. They release oxygen, which is combustible and if they do catch fire, the fire is not easily put out. However, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are oxygen free and are considered as safe as VRLA batteries. They share the advantages of cycling but with significantly less risk. They also tolerate higher ambient temperatures, reducing or removing the need for cooling, and their typical useful working life of 15-20 years means they only need to be replaced once in a data centre’s 30-year design life.  

Total cost of ownership

Despite rising electricity costs, one of the barriers to creating the alternative, green data centre is the upfront cost in new technology investment.

Here total cost of ownership (TCO) needs to come into play and savings must be calculated over the entire life of the facility to enable informed decisions to be made. We have been pleased to see sustainability consultants regularly coming onto project teams recently to help data centres assess these costs as there are so many factors involved and the calculations can be complex. However, over the long term, savings on running costs normally outweigh the investment in capital expenditure within a few years. Inertia is starting to build and move in the right direction for a greener future.

Where business owners don’t have the luxury of building new from scratch, there are always areas for improvement within existing facilities. Here, monitoring is the most effective way to assess and reduce power consumption. Low-cost monitoring enables the load to be balanced through rightsizing, monitoring can assess the quality of a system’s performance to optimise efficiency, while preventative maintenance ensures equipment out of tolerance – which is less efficient – is repaired or replaced at the optimal time. Monitoring enables a report and plan to be created to identify where efficiency can be improved and action taken.

Data centres also need to take advantage of energy management modes within their UPS solutions.  Education and training of on-site staff can help to ensure the system is optimised at all times. In a situation where the load can vary, UPS modules can be put into a ‘sleep mode’. While not switching power, their monitoring circuitry is fully operational, so they are instantaneously ready to switch power if needed. Because it is the switching of power that causes the greatest energy losses, system efficiency is significantly increased.

The alternative

Energy demand is increasing and this trend will continue with society’s growing reliance on technology, particularly with the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. Yet, our finite resources are depleting, pushing energy costs ever higher and so we must look at the alternatives. As an industry which uses significant amounts of power, it is in the interests of data centres to become greener from both a sustainable and financial point of view. We need to monitor and manage the energy we have better and take action to harvest renewables.  

These days, there are options and the most forward-thinking facilities are now looking at harnessing renewable energy to support the load and even power the data centre. However, creating a greener data centre requires careful research, planning and investment in the future.