4 Ways to Sustainably Cool Higher Education Data Centers

 

Reorienting your data center layout using hot and cold aisles can also support cooling efficiency. In this scheme, computing equipment is mounted so that the intake fans face the cold aisle and exhaust fans blow on the hot aisle. This creates convection that returns hot air along the ceiling back to the chiller while minimizing the mixing of hot and cold air.

Turning up the thermostat is another possibility. Most data centers are so cold that you might want a jacket. Computing equipment can often tolerate warmer temps.

Get a Cooler Data Center by Offloading to the Cloud

Many cloud operators are working toward sustainable energy and cooling. Leverage their environmental commitments by moving workloads to them.

Not all workloads are well suited for the cloud, and cloud operating costs can be high. Still, such a shift could succeed. When pondering Infrastructure as a Service offerings, also consider Software as a Service products that might allow you to replace in-house software with a cloud-based solution.

One cloud alternative is a colocation facility. If a colocation data center provider in your area is committed to sustainability, you could relocate your equipment to them, reclaiming your data center space.

RELATED: What to focus on when modernizing applications. 

Audits Can Help Institutions Reduce the Need for Cooling Across Tools

IT shops tend to acquire computing “cruft” over the years, such as redundant, defective or useless equipment that could be retired via consolidation, reducing exhaust heat and thus lowering cooling requirements. An audit can help with this.

It sounds like a simple step, but don’t underestimate the challenge presented. Computing cruft exists because change is hard, and a consolidation project will require IT expertise to achieve success with minimal operating disruptions.

DIG DEEPER: How artificial intelligence is affecting data center power consumption.

Study the Benefits of Wind and Solar Energy for Schools

Two sources of renewable energy that might work for a college or university are solar and wind, but there are caveats: Wind energy requires geography with a useful and predictable amount of wind, and solar energy works better in the south than in the north. Whether there’s a reasonable payback time for a solar or wind installation will require study.

Even if your institution is in a viable area, both solar and wind installations require real estate. Roofs are popular locations for solar panels, assuming campus buildings can bear the weight. Wind requires one or more turbine towers and will introduce noise.