Data Centre Efficiency
Demands for data centre services in particular those of high performance and high availability for mission critical applications have been continuously increasing in recent years. There has also been increasing adoption of high-density servers with high power consumption and heat generation , which in turn require more power for cooling. These together with the power required by other supporting facilities for resilience purposes (e.g. redundant UPS and power distribution) entail the further demand for power. Power consumption is therefore a major operating expense of data centres today, but from the macro perspective data centres help lower the overall power consumption of information and communication technology (ICT) of the whole community1.
Therefore, data centre operators are all striving to enhance energy efficiency, so as to reduce their power consumption, their operating expense and also their environmental impacts. Enhancing energy efficiency on the demand side also helps alleviate the frequent constraints on the supply side of power, cooling as well as space, thus enabling them to sustain their business competitiveness and growth in the long term.
Industry and Government Efforts
Recognising the high power consumption of ICT and data centres, and the associated environmental concerns, industry bodies, technology vendors and service providers, architects and engineers, policy makers and governments around the world are actively working to address the issues. They have been collaborating actively to research into, develop and promote best practices and technologies for energy-efficient data centres.
Hong Kong Government Programmes
The Hong Kong Government is committed to increasing and sustaining energy conservation. An Energy Efficiency Office was set up in the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to spearhead and coordinate Government’s efforts to promote energy efficiency and conservation. Two measures under EMSD are relevant to data centres in enhancing energy efficiency, namely, the implementation of Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance (BEEO) (Cap. 610) and the Fresh Water Cooling Towers Scheme (FWCT Scheme).
To foster a quality and sustainable built environment, the Buildings Department (BD) promulgated a set of practice notes that stipulate the Sustainable Building Design (SBD) guidelines, gross floor area (GFA) concessions and energy efficiency of buildings. For more details, please refer to the practice notes in BD's website, enquire to enquiry@bd.gov.hk or consult the authorised persons appointed for the proposed data centres.
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is also committed to green computing initiatives including green data centre operations. A set of Green Data Centres Practice Guide developed by the BEAM Society Limited with a broad group of reviewers including professionals and industry practitioners addresses energy efficient data centre design, procurement, operations and disposal. Please refer to a sample of the energy saving plan for adopting the Green Data Centres Practice Guide.
The BEAM Plus Data Centres
Apart from the Green Data Centres Practice Guide, the BEAM Society Limited has also launched the BEAM Plus Data Centres for the assessment and improvement of energy efficiency and green performance of data centres. BEAM Plus Data Centres is an assessment tool tailored for data centres with high power and cooling system consumption. The tool has taken into account the local climate, ecological environment and actual conditions in Hong Kong at its design phase, and has introduced international guidelines to give a comprehensive assessment tool covering the entire life cycle of a data centre. Advocating sustainable development, the assessment tool is categorised into ten major aspects, including Energy Use, Management, Integrated Design and Construction Management, etc. For details, please visit the website of BEAM Society Limited.
International Best Practices
The following information provides pointers to some prominent organisations and their useful resources on data centre energy efficiency measures. It is meant for general reference and is by no means exhaustive or representing OGCIO's endorsement. More in-depth studies are required in considering adoption of any measures, and professional advice may be sought as appropriate.
