Going Green: The CFHT Data Center Cooling Dilemma

Data centers use a tremendous amount of power in their server rooms, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), and environmental cooling systems.  While data servers and UPS’s are currently essential, the cooling of data centers is a topic worth “greening”. It is estimated that an equal amount of power is used to cool a computer room as is used to power the computers. Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope’s (CFHT) current computer room air conditioner (CRAC) system cost the company roughly $40,000 per year using about 97,600 kWh. A great deal of energy and money can be saved by using outside ambient air to cool the computers.  At CFHT the project began with turning off two unnecessarily used backup CRAC’s. Second, plans were drawn in Google SketchUp of a proposed ducting route to bring outside ambient air into the cold aisle and duct hot exhaust air back outside. Third, hot aisle/cold aisle containment practices were discussed, using vinyl curtains and blanking panels to partition the room and eliminate the mixing of the air.  The system uses two duct fans to bring in cool air from the open hallways and exhaust the hot air to the roof outside the building. Through the use of “free” cooling, my mentors and I have proposed savings of 87,000 kWh and $35,000 per year. Measures should be taken globally to conserve energy by examining options for “green” cooling.