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Power Solutions Tips & Information |
October 2007 |
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The costs to power and cool data centers continue to climb
and become the predominant costs of running a data center and wiring
closets.
A majority of equipment in the data center today uses AC
power. The AC power is delivered to the equipment and converted to DC
inside individual servers and /or equipment. Each piece of
equipment has AC-to-DC converters. These converters generate heat as
energy is lost during the conversion.
Knowing this, does it make sense to convert your power
source to DC?
We take a look at the pro's and con's of this
solution in this month's article.
As always please feel free to call or email me to discuss this or
any Power protection related issues your business may have.
Sincerely,
Newton Black, Power Specialist
Power Solutions LLC
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Problem
Solvers
New!
Announcing Valere DC Power Systems In Stock and available for immediate
shipment.
Compact Valere DC Power System
Requires only 2RU (87.6mm) of rack height.
Features:
- 48V, Scalable from 5 amps to 250 amps
- 12V and 24V, Scalable from 20 amps to 300 amps
- Flexible AC Input, DC Output, and Battery Interfaces
- Advanced Digital Control and Communication
Email sales@power-solutions.com for complete information.
 The Industry's only
MODULAR Air Conditioning Unit
The
CoolCube 10 is designed to cool a small
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Additionally, the CoolCube
10 is ideal to "spot cool" hot spots within a
larger physical area by delivering the cold air directly to the small
area producing the heat, such as a large data center being cooled by a
Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC).
Features:
- Installs into any standard 19-inch open rack
- UL listed for stacking applications: up to (3) modules
high -
30,000 btu/hr of capacity
- Uses standard 115 VAC power source
Email sales@power-solutions.com for complete
information.
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AC vs DC in Data Centers and Wiring
Closest
Which is more cost effective
for you?
Proponents of DC Power argue that
the use of DC Input equipment provides the opportunity for conversion
into one central large AC-to-DC converter thereby cutting down on heat
loss and increasing efficiency. Increased efficiency results in
less power consumption and less heat output, meaning less cooling is
required.
DC power also can be set up for
centralized fault tolerance, using large banks of DC batteries to store
electricity. This eliminates the need for UPS Systems in data wiring
closets and some data centers, which cuts down on heat and saves
infrastructure costs.
Telcos have been using this
method for years, but some I.T. and data center pros are leery of taking
on the new systems.
Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
does publish a model for AC vs DC Distribution which is available at the www.lbl.gov website. In the model a DC System
provides a benefit of $86 per year of electrical savings per server.
Some UPS manufacturers dispute these findings. Implementing
DC power in an existing data center is most likely prohibitively
expensive should you need to upgrade your equipment to DC input based. In
a new deployment, however, it is worth considering.
Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros:
-Centralized conversion of AC to DC cuts heat losses and increases
efficiency. Less power lost, less heat generated
-Simpler power supply units result in less chance of a power supply
failure in a server, cutting maintenance and redundancy costs.
-A DC based system for both live power and battery power simplifies
failover
Cons:
- DC requires thicker cables to deliver the same amount of energy
- Some DC input equipment can be more difficult to source
- AC power distribution systems are well understood.
Perhaps it is time to evaluate DC power for your new data
center.
Power Solutions offers a wide array of DC Power Solutions as well as AC
Back UP Solutions. Email support@power-solutions.com for
more information.
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