Data Centre Module Switches To DC To Cut Power

Power technology company ABB  says it can cut data centre power demands, using a modular system powered by direct current (DC).

The use of DC power can cut power wasted in transmission compared with alternating current (AC), and ABB is showing a commercial product that takes advantage of this, at its user conference this week.

Prefabricated units

Last November ABB said it would work  on a data centre module powered by DC, using prefabricated units from IO, which can be deployed to build custom data centres with a minimum of time and expense.

The finished module is on display at Automation & Power World in Houston this week, ABB said.

Traditionally data centres are fed AC power at a high voltage, which is converted to DC in the UPS system, before being converted back to AC to power the servers and other systems.

The use of DC throughout the data centre module reduces power conversion losses, reduces complexity and requires less space, allowing customers to spend less on equipment, installation and maintenance, according to ABB, which has been working on DC technologies since the 1950s.

Aside from the data centre, the company said it is pushing DC power for electric vehicle charging, renewable energy and energy storage. ABB recently designed and installed a DC distribution system for Swiss IT service provider green.ch, and is the majority owner of DC power infrastructure equipment provider Validus DC Systems.

Efficiency research

Other significant DC data centre schemes include a University of California, San Diego research project into DC efficiency in 2010. The Met Office said it would use DC to power its high performance computing systems when it upgraded them in 2009.

A study last year found that data centres in the UK occupy a total area of 7.6 million square metres (81m sq.ft.) and consume enough energy to power six million homes, though research has shown that the growth in data centre power usage has grown less than predicted due to the poor economic climate.

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