Energy consumption at data centers is growing at an annual rate of 15% in the U.S. – a doubling of energy use every five years. In fact, power is the single largest operating expense for most data centers, almost half of which will run out of cooling capacity or power within the next two years.

The "safe" approach traditionally taken has been to install far more cooling units than actually needed. Fans typically blow 24x7, regardless of whether or not a data center needs that level of cooling; they may, in fact, not only chill and move a wasteful amount of air, but their non-stop deployment can often be counterproductive.

Most current systems typically run open loop, which means that they are uncontrolled and unmanaged. Cooling units may suffer from crosstalk, each unit fighting with others, resulting in chaotically varying, usually unpredictable and changing results. And in a typical large-scale data center, there are often hundreds to thousands of potential data points relevant to airflow and temperature, points for which airflow temperatures are specified by the manufacturer, but never measured.

There are a variety of "best practices" approaches to ensure proper cooling, all of which can provide some improvement. These include moving floor tiles, isolating hot aisles, implementing curtain walls and introducing variable frequency drives (VFDs).

However, research has shown that dynamic cooling control with an intelligent energy management system delivers the greatest savings – as much as a 50% decrease in cooling energy. More importantly, such a system can also provide the resilience and headroom that a data center requires to maximize non-stop, uninterrupted operation, ensuring maximum uptime and operating efficiency.

Addressing cooling challenges in a data center is a complex problem that requires a smart solution. It starts with measuring environmental attributes at hundreds to thousands of locations, but that's just the beginning – and, curiously, the point at which many implementations stop. For a system to be effective, it needs to turn cooling into a managed resource, dynamically allocating cooling assets and managing resources on the fly, in response to real-time demands and thermal behavior.

It's also important that the system optimize temperature distribution across a facility, intelligently balancing loads, outputs and airflow, taking into account the changes and chaotic interrelationships of hundreds to thousands of variables. That suggests a sophisticated artificial intelligence engine that tunes itself to the unique needs of your data center, that adapts and evolves to meet the changing demands placed on your facility.

Vigilent addresses all of these needs with sophisticated technology that has been extensively field-tested in the most demanding data center environments with the highest uptime requirements in the industry. Find out how our wireless systems can upgrade your facility into a Vigilent Data Center™, optimizing savings, energy use and environmental control. Read more...