pg&e and altera data center energy efficiency project
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
PG&E and Altera
Data Center
Energy Efficiency Project
![Page 2: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
PG&E and Altera: A History of Energy Efficiency
• After hours cooling project
• Chiller VFD retrofit
• CDA compressor replaced with VFD CDA compressor
• Data Center Efficiency Project
![Page 3: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
PG&E and Altera: A History of Energy Efficiency
Chiller VFD Retrofit
Project Cost: $139k ROI: 3.8 yearsPG&E Rebate: $31k Annual Savings: $29k
Project Cost: $110kROI: 3 yearsPG&E Rebate: $15k Annual Savings: $32k
Project Cost: $78k ROI: 1.1 yearsPG&E Rebate: $36k Annual Savings: $39k
After Hours Cooling Project
VFD CDA Compressor Retrofit
![Page 4: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project Objectives
• Keep servers between 68° and 77° F (ASHRAE)
• Reduce energy use
• Accommodate server growth
• Increase server and data center reliability
![Page 5: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Data Center Layout
![Page 6: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Data Center Before Improvements
Portable AC unit
![Page 7: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Two Interests Meet
• Altera had a temporary cooling unit in place to serve a ‘hot spot’ and was looking at ways to handle planned load increases.
• In PG&E’s territory, improving data center energy efficiency by 15% would save 100 GWh of electricity – the equivalent of powering 15,000 homes for a year or taking almost 8,000 cars off the road.
![Page 8: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Why is Airflow a Problem in Data Centers?
• Wasted energy• Wasted money• Less capacity• Less reliability
![Page 9: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Why Do These Problems Exist?
In a typical data center…• Only 40% of AC air is used to cool servers Robert 'Dr. Bob' Sullivan, Ph.D. Uptime Institute
• HVAC systems are 2.6 times what is actually needed
Robert 'Dr. Bob' Sullivan, Ph.D. Uptime Institute
• Not a big concern when power density was low but it continues to grow (about 150w/sqft)
• The culprit: allowing hot and cold air to mix
![Page 10: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
First Step: Assess Current Situation
• Data loggers placed in the inlet and discharge air streams of each cooling unit.
• Four loggers placed in each cold aisle.
• Current transformers installed on the electrical distribution circuits feeding the two roof-top condensing units.
• Total rack kW load was recorded to establish baseline.
![Page 11: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Findings
• Temperature across cooling units ranged from 12° to 18°F.
• Temperature variance of up to 14° degrees from one server to another.
• Approximately 45 kW could be saved in theory if air flow was ideal
![Page 12: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Second Step: Implement Ideas from Meeting with PG&E
• ALL servers must be in hot/cold aisles (HACA)
• Blanking plates between servers
• Strip curtains at ends of aisles
• Remove perforated tiles from hot aisles
• Partitions above racks
![Page 13: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Third Step: Altera Adopts Changes
• APC in-row coolers installed
• Temporary cooling unit removed
• Blanking plates added
• Installed strip curtains to separate the computing racks from the telecom area
• Shutting off CRAC unit
![Page 14: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Addition of APC IRCs’
![Page 15: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Simple changes, big benefits
![Page 16: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Simple Changes, big benefit
![Page 17: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Final Measurement and Review
• Even after Altera made all of these changes, excess cooling capacity still existed.
• PG&E recommended shutting down a second CRAC unit, thus putting all primary cooling on chilled water units.
![Page 18: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Altera’s New and Improved Data Center
• Temporary mobile cooling unit gone
• Two CRAC units shut off
• Server temperature variance a mere 2° F
• Net electricity reduction of 44.9 kW
• Annual energy savings of 392.9 MWh
• Overall energy savings: 25%
![Page 19: PG&E and Altera Data Center Energy Efficiency Project](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649cef5503460f949be646/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Moral of the Story?
• Improving airflow is a safe and sensible strategy to simultaneously make data centers greener, more reliable, higher capacity, and more economical to operate.
• To achieve results such as Altera’s, it takes teamwork between IT, Facilities, HVAC experts, and PG&E.