There are many things that can affect data center efficiency. The most important factors are scalability, capacity, and security. However, power is another important factor. It is responsible for ensuring that your data center is working properly. Power is the backbone of any data center. Thus, it is important to understand the role of data center power design. It can have a huge impact on data center security and continuity. In this article, we are going to discuss the importance of power in any data center.

Basics of Data Center Energy

Electricity is the most important thing for any data center. If you don’t have electricity, then even your most powerful network will be useless. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you have the best network in the world. If you are not using power efficiently, then your data center costs will be high. There are some basic terms that you should understand about power.

DC and AC Power: These are two main options to power your data center. Most electronic devices are using AC or Alternating Current. It can supply a current of 240 or 120 volts power. AC can change its direction. Thus, it can optimize efficiency and performance.

DC Power: Most of the batteries depends on DC power. Your phone and laptop battery is using DC power for charging. This current only flows in one direction. Thus, it is more reliable when compared to AC. Most data centers are using AC for powering their data center. However, more and more companies are using a combination of both power sources. This is helping them in reducing downtime and enhancing efficiency.

Power Usage Effectiveness: This is one of the most important factors for calculating efficiency. It is the ratio of the power available to the power consumed by equipment. PUE is a term that is used for calculating efficiency. This term will help you in determining the power that your servers are using. You can also calculate the amount of power that your non-IT equipment is using. If you have a high PUE, then you are using more power. You can run your data center more efficiently. If you have a low PUE, then you are already running optimally.

How to determine the PUE?

You can determine the PUE of your data center by finding out the ration between the total energy consumed to the energy used by your IT hardware. This will help you in determining the PUE of your data center. In the ideal case, the PUE of your center will be 1. If you have a low ration, then your center is running optimally.

Power in the Colocation Data Center

There are various tools in the data center that need power. You need the following equipment for ensuring that your data center is running efficiently:

Servers: This is the most important part of any data center. Servers are used for storing the data of customers. Also, it provides supports to your rack and brand.
Cooling: Servers generate a lot of heat. Thus, you need a proper cooling infrastructure. This will ensure that your equipment is cool. Also, it will help you in protecting your equipment from damage.
Inverters: Most people don’t notice inverters in the data center. Inverters are used for storing power. It will provide power to your infrastructure when your main power is down. This will help you in avoiding downtime. Thus, you can avoid data loss.
Support: Your servers need constant support. Thus, you need someone for monitoring your servers. Your staff member needs electricity and power in their office. You have to count lights, HVAC and workstations of your IT team.
Security: You need alarms and physical security for protecting your data center. This will ensure that your data center is protected from attackers.

Understanding PUE or Power Usage Effectiveness

It is very important to understand PUE. If you know about your data center PUE, then you can make changes in your data center. These changes will help you in increasing the efficiency of your data center. Thus, it will also help you in lowering your operating costs. You should understand the basic terms of electricity.

PUE is a ratio between the total power available to the power consumed by your IT hardware. Thus, you can use it for measuring the amount of power consumed by your IT infrastructure. It is used for expressing efficiency. This term will help you in understanding how much power your servers are using. Also, this will help you in understanding how much power your non-IT equipment is using. If you have a very high PUE, then you can optimize your data center. You should use better methods for decreasing your PUE. If you already have a low PUE, then your data center is running optimally. It is wasting very little power. Thus, you don’t need to worry about power wastage.

Calculating PUE

It is very easy to calculate PUE. First, you should find the total energy available. After that, you should measure the power used by your IT equipment. You need to find the ration of these terms. In the ideal case, this term will be 1. Lower PUE means that you are not wasting your power. Thus, your data center is already running optimally.

However, it is impossible to achieve a PUE ratio of 1. Your aim should be to reduce this factor to 1.4. If you have a PUE of greater than 2, then you should review your power infrastructure. There are many areas of inefficiency in your data center. You should fix these inefficiencies in your center. This factor will help you with finding inefficiencies in your data center. Thus, it is one of the most important factors for data center power design.

Conclusion

This is everything that you need to know about data center power design. These terms will help you in understanding the power infrastructure of your data center. The best data center provider will make sure that they are using the best power infrastructure. If you need more tips regarding data centers, then you can contact Bleuwire.

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