future actions
In conclusion, data and ethical analysis suggests that consolidation to large data centers is overall more beneficial to the environment and to society than the alternative of each business maintaining its own smaller, less efficient storage system.
That being said, there is significant room for improvement in the design, implementation and running of these data warehouses to help further reduce their environmental impact.
Data center design and planning
That being said, there is significant room for improvement in the design, implementation and running of these data warehouses to help further reduce their environmental impact.
Data center design and planning
- Reduce energy required for cooling
- Reduce power drain of servers
- Rely on alternative energy for continuous power
Many companies are already implementing ways to reduce energy for cooling. The Green Grid recommends a few key elements that will help reduce cooling costs. Sealing the environment to offer better humidity control, optimizing air flow with rack and air conditioner placement, using economizers to allow for natural cooling when possible, use new technologies to increase cooling system efficiency and bringing supplemental cooling systems closer to the heat source are all ways that data centers can reduce costs associated with constant cooling.
Newer server technology allows for power saving options when not in active use, which has the potential to significantly reduce power drain. In addition, modeling expected usage and planning data centers to handle expected capacity would aid in lower energy usage, versus the current model of always exceeding needed capacity. Finally, individual servers can be powered down when not in use, rather than kept in idle mode which is another inefficiency. Control systems are developing that automatically adjust capacity depending on predicted and measured user demand and which can keep the two relatively proportional.
http://www.thegreengrid.org/~/media/Member%20Added/data-center-energy-efficiency_151-47%20white%20paper.pdf?lang=en