Manufacturers’ focus on data centers: Sustainability

Designing efficient and effective data centers and mission critical facilities is a top priority for consulting engineers. Three manufacturers discuss energy efficiency and sustainability.

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Participants

• John Collins, Global Segment Director, Data Centers, Eaton Corp., Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
  
• Jim Dagley, Vice President, Channel Marketing & Strategy, Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee, Wis. 
• John Kovach, Global Head of Data Center Initiatives, Siemens, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Sustainable buildings/energy efficiency

CSE: How does your technology help engineers make their clients’ mission critical facilities and data centers more energy efficient?

Kovach: Our technology marries a great product with application engineering know-how. Our solutions give our application engineers capabilities to build what makes sense for a client and what is asked for by design engineers. A data center environment is like a single complex machine with many moving parts that all affect one another. The application programs that design engineers are calling for are leaps above traditional systems in complexity. Our engineers and technicians can understand and meet those challenges. Our application engineers are responding to designs that call for multiple layers of redundancy, reliability, normal conditions, fault conditions, and energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is a long-term effort. We have software to monitor performance, but that is not enough. More importantly, we offer the long-term commitment of our service personnel to analyze and continuously take actions for improvement.

Dagley: Pre-engineered controls and heating and cooling equipment are proving to be the most environmentally and economically efficient options for owners and operators. Consider the scalable, modular approach that operates at a PUE of less than 1.3, a 30% lower operating expenditure, and capital expenditure, as well as lower greenhouse gas (GHG) versus traditional construction.

Collins: As a company with more than 100 years of energy management experience, Eaton has developed many tools to help customers increase efficiency. A prime example is our 9395 UPS, which has multiple modes of operation, is SMaRT certified, and can reach an industry-leading 99% efficiency. One client measured a PUE of 1.29 while running a 9395 on double conversion and 1.16 while on energy saver system mode. Customers can also implement our Wrightline airflow management solutions, which offer less than 3% air leakage even in heterogeneous IT rack environments. Additionally, Eaton’s Energy Solutions Group is a Dept. of Energy-certified energy services company (ESCO), which is capable of auditing and offering performance contracts with no up-front cost for the client on energy savings projects.