Creating Energy-Efficient Data Centers Paul Scheihing U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Industrial Technologies Program Data Center Facilities and Engineering Conference Washington, DC May 18, 2007

Why Data Centers? Highly energy-intensive and rapidly growing Consume 10 to 100 times more energy per square foot than a typical office building Large potential impact on electricity supply and distribution Used about 45 billion kWh in 2005 At current rates, power requirements could double in 5 years.

Potential Benefits of Improved Data Center Energy Efficiency Save 20 billion kWh per year by 2015 Worth $2 billion, ≈ annual electricity use in 1.8 million American homes Potentially defer need to build 2,300 MW of new generating capacity And avoid 3.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions (like taking 675,000 cars off the road) Extend life and capacity of existing data center infrastructures Assume ITP initiative will reduce electricity consumption at data centers by 20 billion kWh per year (1) This is equal to the amount of electricity consumed by 1.8 million homes (2) This initiative will reduce energy costs for the industry by $2 billion per year (3) This initiative will reduce GHG emissions by 3.39 million metric tons of carbon per year (4) This reduction would be equal to taking 675,000 cars off the road (5) Notes: (1) 20 billion kWh savings in 2011 (2015?) was decided by Paul (2) based on average household electricity consumption of 11,000 kWh per year.  This value is from: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/appliances.html (3) based on electricity cost of $0.10 per kWh in 2011 (2015?).  Average electricity price for commercial facilities was $0.0867 per kWh according to Table ES1 in 2005 according to EIA’s Electric Power Annual 2005. (4) based on average carbon emissions for electricity in the U.S. according to data from Tables A8 and A18 in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2007. (5) based on average carbon emissions of 5 metric tons of carbon per car per year according to: http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/energymatters/articles.cfm/article_id=87

Building Existing Knowledge Base R&D Roadmap by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) identifies and prioritizes data center opportunities and research. With funding from PG&E and CEC, LBNL conducted benchmark studies of 22 data centers: Found wide variation in performance (total power/IT power) Identified best practices DOE will greatly expand current knowledge base. Ratio of Total Data Center Power to IT Equipment Power Total Power/IT Power

Energy Efficiency Opportunities Power Distribution & Conversions Server Load/ Computing Operations Cooling Equipment

Data Center Energy Use Typical Data Center Energy End Use 100 Units Power Conversions & Distribution 35 Units Cooling Equipment Server Load /Computing Operations Server Load/ Computing Operations Cooling equipment (air conditioners, fans, humidifiers, pumps) Power distribution equipment (transformers, uninterruptible power supplies, AC/DC inverters, wiring) 33 Units Delivered

Cooling & Power Conversions Data Center Cooling and Power Conversion Performance Varies Cooling & Power Conversions Cooling & Power Conversions Server Load /Computing Operations Server Load /Computing Operations Typical Practice Better Practice

Typical Energy Flow/Use Electricity Generation & Transmission Losses Delivered Power Power Conversion & Distribution Cooling Equipment Server Load/ Computing Operations Fuel Burned at Power Plant

Typical Energy Flow/Use Power Conversion & Distribution Cooling Equipment Server Load/ Computing Operations Electricity Generation & Transmission Losses …ultimately reducing fuel burned at the power plant Reducing power demand and losses Lowering power conversion losses Delivered Electricity Will reduce cooling needs Reducing server power requirements Fuel Burned at Power Plant

Energy Efficiency Opportunities Better air management Move to liquid cooling Optimized chilled-water plants Use of free cooling On-site generation CHP applications Waste heat for cooling Use of renewable energy Fuel cells Power Conversion & Distribution Server Load/ Computing Operations Cooling Equipment Load management Server innovation Power Conversion: Potential for 10 to 30% improvement Server Load/Computing: Potential for 30 to 50% improvement (check EPA report) Load management Virtualization Sleep modes Load shifting Server innovation Chip design Efficient power supplies Semiconductor materials Cooling: Potential for 30 to 50% improvement (check EPA report) Alternative Power Generation: On-site generation (eliminates transmission losses) CHP applications Use of waste heat for cooling Use of renewable energy (could couple with DC power distribution systems) PV Fuel cells High voltage distribution Use of DC power Highly efficient UPS systems Efficient redundancy strategies Dale’s revision: Improve “in-the-box” power supply efficiency Improve efficiency of software applications Improve resource utilization (e.g. virtualization) Reduce idle power (power management) Hardware innovation (e.g. more efficient computations per watt) Alternative Power Generation

Opportunity Potential Comparison of Projected Electricity Use, All Scenarios, 2007 to 2011 140 2006 Baseline 58.7 120 Business as usual 100 Current trends 80 Improved operational management Annual Energy Use (Billion kWh/year) 60 Best practice 40 State of the art 20 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

What Is Needed Assistance in identifying the best opportunities for savings at each data center Outside validation to help convince management that addressing opportunities is feasible and cost-effective

DOE Data Center Team Industrial Technologies Program Building Technologies Program Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, & Infrastructure Technologies Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) DOE National Laboratories

DOE Data Center Program Objectives Provide systems approach Build tools, expertise, and strategy Raise awareness of the opportunity Recognize industry leaders

Save Energy Now: Industry Assessments 200 completed Natural gas savings = 52 trillion Btu/yr ≈ 725,000 U.S. homes Carbon dioxide avoided = 3.3 million metric tons/year Cost savings opportunity = $475 million per year Savings implemented or planned = $256 million (154 plants) 2 – 4 years Modify steam turbine operation Use oxygen for combustion Change process steam use > 4 years Install CHP system < 9 months Improve insulation Implement steam trap program Clean heat transfer surfaces 9 mo. – 2 years Heat feed water with boiler blowdown Lower excess oxygen Flue gas heat recovery Carbon dioxide avoided = 3.3 million metric tons/year (7% of total US greenhouse gas emission growth, 2004 – 2005) Estimated Payback Periods for Recommended Actions

Program Strategy Build on Save Energy Now model DOE deployed software tools, training curriculum, and qualified experts to train and work with staff at large U.S. plants. 65% of recommended actions now completed, in progress, or planned. With industry input, develop appropriate tools, training, and qualified experts to improve data centers. Conduct pilots, promote and facilitate industry implementation. Tool kit include: best-practice guides and case studies, benchmarking, and sub-system assessment protocols/tools

2007 Move Forward Plan Build strong liaisons and partnerships with industry Develop robust new energy assessment program Develop tools and info on best practices Sub-system assessment protocol and analysis tool Assessment framework and energy profiling tool Conduct pilot assessments at data centers Provide awareness training Screen for industrial demonstrations Provide Federal procurement specifications ITP has a number of initiatives to impact energy efficiency in the U.S. industrial sector. ITP is developing new R&D Technology Platforms to impact a broader industry sector in utilize Supply Chain to motivate energy savings. ITP is working with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop energy efficiency certification ITP is developing an initiative linking carbon emissions reduction to energy efficiency Emphasis placed on deployment of new technologies and processes.

Stakeholders EPA States Utilities Industry Organizations e.g., Green Grid, ASHRAE, AFCOM, 7x24, SVLG Equipment suppliers Research organizations Consultants

How Can Industry Participate? Register on web site to get regular updates Participate in Peer Review of products, protocols and best practices Sign up for Technical Working Groups on web site Conduct Self Benchmarking and report results Use tools from LBNL site and download protocol at : http://hightech.lbl.gov/datacenters.html Apply for Data Center Assessments (solicitation coming in Fall) www.eere.energy.gov/datacenters/

Self-benchmarking Guide Other Reports (demonstrations) Web-based Resources http://hightech.lbl.gov/datacenters.html Good starting point for those seeking efficiency measures Best Practices Benchmark data Self-benchmarking Guide Case Studies Other Reports (demonstrations) Design Guidance

end Contact: Paul Scheihing Paul.Scheihing@ee.doe.gov 202-586-7234