Green Data Centers_Report

“Green Data Centers: A sustainable solution”
by Swena Gupta, New York University-Tandon School of Engineering
2016

ABSTRACT
As it is widely known, that the most important problem faced by the world today is Global
Warming which is caused by increased use of non-renewable sources of energy. Excessive use of
these sources of energy will lead to their eventual depletion. According to 2013 statistics, the
electricity being used by data centers in U.S. is close to 91 billion kW-hour [Delforge, P., 2015].
A lot of this power goes wasted due to inefficient utilization of resources at the data centers. This
paper, emphasizes on such issues with respect to green data centers and the immediate need to
stimulate the development of such data centers to ensure a financially viable and more sustainable
solution to the existing needs of the information technology ecosystem.
Keywords: Global Warming, Power consumption, Non-renewable resources, Sustainability

INTRODUCTION
From posting a status on Facebook, uploading files on Google Drive, streaming a movie on Netflix
to searching a topic on Google Search, everything draws in so much more electricity than ever
imagined [Williams, C., 2015]. The growing need of power in this age of digital media is
stimulating companies to move to something called Green Data Centers.
What is Green Data Center?
Green Data Center is an organizational computing establishment wholly constructed, controlled
and ran on green computing principles. It extends truly same characteristics and capabilities of a
data center but consumes less power and space and its model and functioning are eco-friendly [9].
Financial Impact by Today’s Data Centers
The mean usage of tangible IT resources, comprising of servers and storage, stays less than 75-
80% desired rates [Syed, R., 2008]. Based on the analysis done by hardware manufacturers and
Gartner analysts, on an average, the servers have utilization percentage of nearly 8-20% and the
storage devices have utilization percentage of approximately 35-40% [Syed, R., 2008]. On an
average, the quantity of new information being produced expands continuously at a rate of 55%,
forcing the companies to invest more and more to keep pace with the speeding growth [Syed, R.,
2008].
The areas of data center infrastructure, capital, data center electricity, and cooling are increasingly
posing problems on the IT organizations to meet the growing cost requirements. The costs
associated with the data center electricity is around 13% of the total expenditure in data center
operation. The cost of maintenance and control is 67% of the total operational cost of the data
center [Syed, R., 2008]. Based on 2013 statistics, the electricity consumed by the data centers of
United States is 91 billion kilowatt-hours which is as much as the electricity produced by 34 coal-
fired power plants annually. It is estimated that by 2020 if the data center efficiency is not

improved, the consumption of electricity will increase to 140 billion kilowatt-hours, which will be
equivalent to 50 coal-fired power plants, annual electricity generation [Delforge, P., 2015]. This
will cost US business an annual amount of $13 billion and 100 million metric tons of carbon
emission annually. Therefore, several IT organizations such as Google, Facebook, Apple, EMC2
etc. have started focusing on increasing the efficiency of the operation by optimizing usage of IT
resources [Syed, R., 2008].
Environmental Impact by Today’s Data Centers
Today’s data centers affect the environment in the following two ways:
1. The heat produced for use in heating and cooling equipment.
2. The process being adopted for generating power, supplying it and consuming it.
The heat generated from the powered-up & running equipment in data centers is applied to the
Computer room air conditioning (CRAC) systems to cool the equipment. These systems require
power to run which is in-turn made available by consuming the electricity generated power plants.
This energy generation consumes non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels which lead to the
emission of Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributing to global warming [Syed, R., 2008].
National Need
With the growing requirements of energy by the nation’s servers every year, for cooling equipment
and with increasing carbon footprint due to data centers, there is a need to adopt green technologies
for power generation to ensure a sustainable environment for humankind. Also, there is a need for
data center efficiency assessment by every organization to bring about the consciousness to adopt
measures for efficient utilization of energy. Action must be taken to balance the requirements of
resources for use and the capability of the earth to deliver them [Varde, A. S., Robila, S., &
Weinstein, M. P., 2011].

Gartner Reports about existing data centers
Gartner says “Energy-Related costs account for approximately 12% of overall data center
expenditures” [Pettey, C., & Goasduff, L., 2010]. The energy-related costs are also the fastest
growing cost in the total data center expenses [Pettey, C., & Goasduff, L., 2010].. Gartner Analysts
also said that with predicted increase of this cost over the coming years, organizations need to put
a strict control over the energy consumption by their data centers to curb the forestalled impact of
it on the environment [Pettey, C., & Goasduff, L., 2010].
CONSIDERATIONS FOR AN EFFICIENT, GREEN DATA CENTER
To achieve goals of high efficiency and flexibility, an efficient use of new and existing facility
needs to be made to reduce environmental impact and at the same time keep pace with the on-
going growth [Syed, R., 2008]. To accomplish this successfully, following crucial considerations
need to be made:
Consideration 1: Data Center Equipment Placement
In the present scenario, the densely packed high-performance equipment requires more heat
dissipation and has more cooling requirement. Therefore, it is important to observe carefully the
placement of such equipment in the data center racks. Inappropriate placement of equipment can
lead to more power and cooling consumption which can in-turn raise the cost. A good practice can
be of creating hot aisles and cold aisles based on the equipment power and cooling usage [Syed,
R., 2008]. Also, to prevent the development of key hot-spots, high-density equipment should be
kept separate in the data center to maintain a comparatively balanced room temperature [Syed, R.,
2008]. This will require considerably less cooling power.

Consideration 2: Data Center Power and Cooling
When planning for moving to a green data center strategy, entire infrastructure should be deeply
assessed for power and cooling consumption [Syed, R., 2008]. For each IT asset involving servers,
networks or storage resources, and each data center rack, energy consumption should be noted and
an analysis of the present power consumption should be made. Following strategies should be
adopted to optimize the cooling systems:
• Creating a clear path from the source of cooled air to the equipment
• Regular maintenance of the Computer room air conditioning (CRAC) systems
• Appropriate positioning of CRAC units, after equipment aisle (hot/cold), are configured
Consideration 3: IT Infrastructure Virtualization
The most persistent inefficiency of improper utilization rates of power and heat by equipment can
be addressed by Virtualization. It brings infrastructure unification, resource provisioning and
brings about greater resource utilization rates as it allows usage of fewer resources, resulting in
more efficiency, in-turn reducing power consumption, heat dissipation, and cost. Due to less
resources the environmental impact is also less [Syed, R., 2008].
SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
Although Green Data Center sounds like a viable outcome, there are various societal challenges
being faced. There exists an unwillingness to take a risk in system administrators regarding a
possible shift that could lead to down time of their organization’s data centers. A bureaucratic
problem exists in collecting data from different departments (especially in universities) such as IT
for data related to data center services, facilities for data related power provided to the data center,
and accounting for data related to the money paid for different services. Another challenge comes
when there is a need to collect data while assessment but there is a lack of equipment funding for
proper measurement. To gain information about the existing data center issues, there is a need to

work with experts from different disciplines and fields. The challenge is to gather funds to carry
out this interdisciplinary research initiative [Varde, A. S., Robila, S., & Weinstein, M. P., 2011].
STEPS TO ASSESS PRESENT DATA CENTER POWER AND INFRASTRUCTURE
CONSUMPTIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN DATA CENTER
There are many reasons for doing data center assessment. Some of them are optimizing the cooling,
increasing redundancy, improving energy efficiency, and much more. To develop a flow of your
existing data center, an in-depth assessment is required to be done on it. An easy 5-step assessment
process can be followed to accomplish your data center assessment in a synchronized way
[Leading Edge Design Group, 2015]. The 5-steps are:
1. Set Goal
It is important to identify the goals to improve your data center [Leading Edge Design
Group, 2015]. These goals are specific to each organization and are based on its present
and future business needs and financial capabilities.
2. Develop a Technology Profile
This is most critical but often ignored step for a data center assessment. A profile of the
technologies deployed in your existing data center should be created along with the
technology profile that can serve your future business needs. This will ensure customized
recommendations based on your data center technology profile [Leading Edge Design
Group, 2015].
3. Assess the Infrastructure
After setting goals and developing your data center’s technology profiles, a detailed
evaluation of your data center infrastructure should be made. Power consumption, cooling,
security, fire protection, network, telecommunication etc. should be evaluated for
performance and should be compared with the set goals and present and future technology
profiles [Leading Edge Design Group, 2015]. Power usage and data center effectiveness

can be measured by two popular parameters i.e. PUE (Power Use Effectiveness) and DCIE
(Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency) [Mata-Toledo, R., & Gupta, P.].
4. Identify Deviations
After comparing your goals and technology profiles with the evaluation done on current
data center infrastructure, a detailed analysis should be done to figure out the deviations
and the risk levels attached with each of the deviation [Leading Edge Design Group, 2015].
5. Develop an incremental plan
After the analysis is done, if there is a considerable deviation from the required data center
efficiency then a curative plan should be made to upgrade the existing facility with
minimum downtime, keeping in mind the complexity and the time needed to make these
upgrades. The plan should also take care of involving least risk during the upgrades [Syed,
R., 2008]. The plan should include proper equipment management, floor and cable
management, rack management, implementation of hot/cold aisles and separation of high-
density racks. Once, the plan is successfully created, the deployment should begin
incrementally ensuring minimal risk possible [Syed, R., 2008].
FIELDS CURRENTLY USING GREEN DATA CENTERS
One of the largest consumers of energy is the educational institutions. To educate their students
and community about green technologies, educational institutions such as Syracuse University in
the upstate New York, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Rochester, have moved to
Green Data Centers to reduce their energy requirements and the environmental impacts. Syracuse
University has put up 12 natural gas micro-turbines in its 12,000 sq. ft data center to generate
power [Smith, T., 2013]. As stated by the CIO of University of Rochester, David Lewis, using
OptiCool technology to cool the server racks, increases 30 percent server density within their data
center’s server cabinets [Smith, T., 2013]. Ron Weaver, a manager at the University of Colorado

Boulder, said that by using a technology named as indirect evaporative cooling, their air
conditioning systems have become 90 percent more efficient than the traditional compressor-
driven air conditioning systems [Smith, T., 2013]. The other sector which is a major consumer of
energy is the industrial sector [Clancy, H., 2013]. Some big companies such as Google, Facebook,
Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, eBay, IBM, GE, Oracle, Citi, HP, DELL, AT&T, Datadock and much
more have taken initiatives to develop green data centers. IBM has adopted some measures to
reduces energy usage and in that process launched a project named “Big Green Innovations”
[Mata-Toledo, R., & Gupta, P.]. Dell has adopted various green technologies such as Green Grid,
the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and 80Plus [Mata-Toledo, R., & Gupta, P.]. Datadock’s
green data center in Strasbourg, France claims itself to be the greenest option of the continent
helping save 26 million kWh of electricity per year, at full load. Microsoft, AT&T, and eBay are
using fuel cells energy obtained from sewage as their green source of energy to run their data
centers [Clancy, H., 2013]. Data centers of Google are created to use 50% less power compared to
other facilities having average PUE as 1.14 [Clancy, H., 2013]. It also recycles 100% of its
electronic waste [Clancy, H., 2013]. In this race of using green technologies in data centers, Apple
is nowhere behind these big giants, by using renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind,
hydro and geothermal to power their facilities [Clancy, H., 2013]. Apart from these major sectors,
there are various other small sectors that are moving to green initiatives.
FUTURE SCENARIO
With the advent of Green Data Centers, the increase in 4% power consumption of US data centers
in last 5 years is far less than the 24% increase in power consumption reported in the preceding 5
years which was better than the first half of the last decade having 90% increase [Babcock, C., &
Franklin, C., Jr., 2016]. Researchers are estimating 4% increase in power consumption by US data
centers in the next 5 years. US, Canada and Mexico have promised to generate 50% of the energy

from non-carbon dioxide producing sources by 2025 [Babcock, C., & Franklin, C., Jr., 2016]. New
York State’s Public Utilities Commissions, has promised to move 50% of power generation of
state to be done by carbon-free sources by 2030 [Babcock, C., & Franklin, C., Jr., 2016]. Although
a lot of promises have been made in the U.S. elections of 2016 for abandoning the environmental
regulations to build several new jobs, it is not going to happen as natural gas is too cheap, according
to the New York Times report [Krauss, C., & Corkery, M., 2016]. Eg. Duke Energy is
discontinuing using the coal-fired facility and moving to natural gas. Regardless, the progressions
in the next four years, green data centers are going to stay [2017 outlook for green data centers is
still green, 2016].
CONCLUSION
Despite many societal challenges posed by the administrators of different organizations due to
their preference of performance uptime than power usage, the idea of measuring and monitoring
the power used, needs to be practiced and steps should be taken to minimize it. Even after moving
to green data centers, the power usage and heat dissipation should be regularly monitored [Mata-
Toledo, R., & Gupta, P.]. With the increase in number of devices being connected to the internet
(IoT), data center market is booming exponentially and our data centers should be able to
accommodate the effects of this growth in an efficient manner ensuring a sustainable environment.

REFERENCES
[1] Syed, R. (2008). The Efficient, Green Data Center. Retrieved from
https://www.emc.com/collateral/emc-perspective/h5843-green-data-ctr-ep.pdf
[2] Green Data Centers Emerging as a Key Trend for the Data Center Market in Southeast Asia
Until 2020, Says Technavio. (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160421005024/en/Green-Data-Centers-Emerging-
Key-Trend-Data
[3] Varde, A. S., Robila, S., & Weinstein, M. P. (2011). GREEN DATA CENTERS FOR
SUSTAINABILITY (Rep.).
[4] Leading Edge Design Group (2015). Regular check-up of your data center may seem like an
uphill battle, but its well worth it #datacenterassessments. Retrieved from
http://www.ledesigngroup.com/blog/data-center/5-steps-to-a-successful-data-center-assessment/
[5] Mata-Toledo, R., & Gupta, P. (n.d.). Green data center: how green can we perform?
[6] Smith, T. (2013). Hot Topic: Cooling Off the Data Center. Retrieved from
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2013/07/hot-topic-cooling-data-center
[7] Clancy, H. (2013). 12 green data centers worth emulating from Apple to Verne. Retrieved
from https://www.greenbiz.com/article/12-green-data-centers-worth-emulating-apple-verne
[8] Babcock, C., & Franklin, C., Jr. (2016). Green Data Centers: 8 Companies Doing Them
Right - InformationWeek. Retrieved from http://www.informationweek.com/data-centers/green-
data-centers-8-companies-doing-them-right/d/d-id/1326498
[9] @. (n.d.). What is a Green Data Center? - Definition from Techopedia. Retrieved from
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/14754/green-data-center
[10] Williams, C. (2015). What is a green data center? Retrieved from
http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/computers/stories/what-is-a-green-data-center
[11] Pettey, C., & Goasduff, L. (2010). Gartner Says Energy-Related Costs Account for
Approximately 12 Percent of Overall Data Center Expenditures. Retrieved from
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/1442113
[12] 2017 outlook for green data centers is still green. (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.greendatacenternews.org/articles/915038/2017-outlook-for-green-data-centers-is-
still-green/
[13] Delforge, P. (2015). America's Data Centers Consuming and Wasting Growing Amounts of
Energy. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/resources/americas-data-centers-consuming-and-
wasting-growing-amounts-energy

[14] Krauss, C., & Corkery, M. (2016). A Bleak Outlook for Trump’s Promises to Coal Miners.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/business/energy-environment/a-bleak-
outlook-for-trumps-promises-to-coal-miners.html

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