Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2007 - (Page 44)

Outside the box It’s essential to broaden the topic beyond data centers. This is an area of focus that is dependent on the actual site of the data center. Each type of electric generation technology uses different types and amounts of fuel (natural gas, coal, oil) and each power producer uses varying types of renewable power generation technology, such as wind and solar. CO2 emissions also need be taken into consideration as potential sites are evaluated. There are many other factors beyond the commercial building sector that produce global warming gases. The current strategy for long-term stabilization by 2055 comes in the form of wedges of reduction, where one wedge equals 1 billion tons of CO2 (see Figure 1). One of the wedge strategies comes from Princeton University’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative. According to this template, the commercial building sector needs to reduce emissions from buildings and appliances by 25% by 2055. This will be particularly difficult for data centers as the demand for technology increases. However, this reduction is consistent with the findings of the EPA study that energy reductions ranging from 30% to 80% are achievable with varying degrees of investment. An important environmental consideration rarely discussed is the amount of water that data centers consume in the cooling process. In addition to the water consumed, it is important to understand the amount of energy that is used in the overall water supply and discharge cycle for both the data center and the utility that is producing the electricity. Balancing the relationship between water use and energy is a complex discussion (see Figure 2), but it is important to understand that, depending on the location of the data center, the strategy to use more water to offset electricity use—such as in an evaporative cooled airconditioning system—may not be applicable. For instance, according to the California Energy Commission’s 2005 report, “California’s Water-Energy Relationship,” waterrelated energy consumes 19% of the state’s electricity, 30% of its natural gas and 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel every year. Reducing the amount of water consumed also will reduce the amount of energy. So in addition to general water scarcity concerns, the interrelationship between water use and electrical consumption will impact the decision-making process on the overall strategy for data center planning. Because the industry is poised to take a great leap forward down the path of addressing these disparate subjects, one logical thought is to try to achieve some type of balance or state of equilibrium. Strictly defined, balance is “a state in which opposing forces or factors are of equal strength or importance so that they effectively cancel each other out and stability is maintained.” However, the forces that come into play when evaluating reliability, cost, regard for the environment and maximizing the capability of IT systems are rarely equal—having the ability to stabilize them through achieving balance is not very practical. Perhaps there is a better term—such as optimize—that helps define and shape the current efforts. Optimize is defined as “to find the best possible solution to a technical problem in which there are a number of competing or conflicting considerations, where nothing is out of proportion or unduly emphasized at the expense of the rest.” This definition is undoubtedly a much better representation of the outcome that is envisioned. So with all of the compelling arguments, pros and cons, and business impacts, it seems to be a daunting task to try to construct a decisionmaking envelope that contains all of the necessary criteria, standards, strategies, outcomes, technologies, and measurements required to enable an objective, evidence-based decision-making process. Billions 14 of tons of carbon emitted per year Historical emissions o -d ns sio Stabilization is Em triangle Flat path li ub ng th pa Toward tripling CO2 14 7 Avoid doubling CO2 7 Em iss ion s- u do bli ng th pa 7 wedges are needed to build the stabilization triangle Stabilization triangle 1 wedge avoids 1 billion tons of carbon emissions 0 1955 2005 2055 0 1955 2005 2055 Figure 1 Long-term stabilization comes in the form of wedges of reduction, where one wedge equals 1 billion tons of CO2. The commercial building sector must reduce emissions from buildings and appliances by 25% by 2055; this will be tough for data centers as technology demands increase. Source: Princeton University’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative 44 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • OCTOBER, 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2007

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2007 Contents On the Web In the News M/E Roundtable How To Beat the Energy Codes Professional Practices Codes & Standards A Capital Job on Engineered Buiding Systems Going Green in Data Centers Overcurrent Protection: Fuses or Breakers? Third-Party Liability Management Report New Products Product Spotlight Jobs/Classifieds Specifier's Notebook

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2007

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