Are Data Centers Finally Ready For DC Power?

1sockchuck writes "It's been five years since a landmark study outlined the potential benefits of DC power distribution in data centers. But adoption of DC in data centers remains limited, even as the industry aggressively pursues a wide array of other energy savings strategies. Advocates of DC distribution are hoping a new study will jump start the conversation about DC distribution, which can save energy by eliminating several wasteful AC-to-DC conversions within a data center. Meanwhile, an industry association for DC power adoption, the EMerge Alliance, has formed a new technical standards committee for data centers, and is advancing a 380-volt DC power standard. Will DC distribution ever gain momentum in data centers?"

Comments

Re:Telecom's been doing this for many, many years.

[vlm]

4) Done right with a positive ground system, leads to less corrosion problems with outside plant. Admittedly "inside" the data center, if you're got corrosion, you're doin it wrong.

5) Less AC hum. We had some microwave site to site short hop gear back in ye olde NTSC days that could only be run off battery without 60 hz interference bars on the screen. Not technologically relevant anymore, but the point remains that DC is always going to be cleaner than AC.

6) Better lightning protection. I'm sure its happened, but I've never heard of losing a telco DC bus. Big conductors, giant batteries across them, lightning is just not an issue anymore at the power level (still need to ground feedlines / waveguide / whatever you've got at home like that)

7) dump most of the power conversion heat in the battery room where its all built to handle high temp and no one visits (other than occasional battery maint). Cheaper cooling in the data center, data center is somewhat more habitable, etc.