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China's Green Data Center Plans

Posted by timothy on from the ho-ho-ho-green-giant dept.

itwbennett writes "It's no surprise that China's internet-using population is growing fast. And so it's also no surprise that the country is planning to build new data centers by the dozen. What is surprising, at least to those of us who expect to read stories about widespread pollution in China, is that China is working with both The Green Grid and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop standards for energy performance."

10 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Not that suprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    China is the largest investor in renewable energy of any country in the world.

  2. No mystery here. by Mannfred · · Score: 5, Informative

    Energy performance is especially relevant when faced with high energy costs. From thegreengrid.org's press release: "The Green Grid will help promote the improvement of resource efficiency in business computing throughout China, a country with huge potential for energy efficiency increases."

    1. Re:No mystery here. by TheLink · · Score: 5, Informative

      They've been getting low on coal every now and then - as in burning coal faster than they can get it (from their own mines and other places). They're using so much energy that they even run out of dirty energy, so they need to reduce consumption and also add clean energy.

      http://news.theage.com.au/business/china-coal-shortage-to-continue-20080116-1m7u.html
      http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/coal-shortage-causes-power-cuts-in-china-20101221-193d5.html
      http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/18/china-power-shortage-idUSL3E7FI1ED20110418
      Consuming less energy = consuming less coal = fewer power cuts = fewer pissed off people = easier and more peaceful reign for those at the top.

      IIRC Japan is many times more efficient in terms of productivity (goods, GDP etc) vs energy used. So there's actually quite a lot of room for improvement in terms of energy efficiency.

      They've also been working on building lots of nuclear reactors. Hope they get those right though, or there'll be major disasters (China does get big quakes).

      --
    2. Re:No mystery here. by vought · · Score: 1, Informative

      They've been getting low on coal every now and then

      Probably because their disregard for human life and sloppy, fast and loose mining practices inevitably leads to huge accidents with hundreds killed...just last month. You should see the totals since 2005.

      No biggie though! Yay China! More cheap electronics, please!

  3. Going the right direction by mcrbids · · Score: 5, Informative

    From a regulatory standpoint, the most important thing isn't the effectiveness, it's the standards used to gauge effectiveness. If you want the right answer, you have to start by asking the right questions.

    Is datacenter efficiency important? Doesn't appear to be so from where I sit. We host a significant number of servers in a local (Sacramento) colo, and we buy contracts for bandwidth and power. The charges we pay are rather small given the size of our company, the actual power costs are infinitesimal compared to the other costs that we have to do business. I care not a whit about power costs, given that our marginal costs are so low compared to the value we present.

    Is it important? Sure! But in the USA, we have no operational standards for what constitutes "green" data center technologies. If there was an actual standard for DC power, I'd consider buying servers with DC power inputs, etc...

    --
    I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
    1. Re:Going the right direction by Skapare · · Score: 5, Informative

      You don't have to do DC to be reasonably green. DC still has a number of issues, including safety. And just having DC alone does not make it green (you have to do DC smartly).

      Just being smart about AC as well as the cooling systems can make improvements. For example, run your servers on 208 or 240 volts instead of 120 volts. And if you are building a new data center in North America, get your power from the utility at three phase 416Y/240 volts instead of 208Y/120 volts for the computer room (get separate 208Y/120 volts for the offices where needs for 120 is common). Use lights-out platforming as much as you can (last one out turn out the lights).

      Use UPSes that can switch to "line interactive mode" instead of doing everything in "double conversion". Only extremely sensitive equipment needs double conversion all the time Don't do "whole data center" UPSes because you lose the ability to gradually migrate to greener models over time. About one UPS per rack should be sufficient.

      Split your cooling load across multiple systems so the temperature stays more stable (one giant HVAC causes temperatures to go up and down a lot). Once stable, you can target the temperature at a higher level.

      --
      now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
    2. Re:Going the right direction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Monetary cost is one thing... efficiency, sustainability, availability and environmental impact are another. The purpose of green energy isn't to save money (in fact, in many industrial applications of sustainable models, implementation and operational monetary costs are higher than the competing and existing models). It's about ensuring longevity by using methods which either integrate with the organic processes of nature, or minimize the impact on said processes by being more efficient and less destructive; whether it's energy production, materials production, transportation and infrastructure development, communication, consumption, waste/bi-product management, metropolitan development... whatever. The grand idea is appreciation of the interconnectedness of all of the world's biological, geological, and technological systems. Not to sound like an environmental fanatic or a tree hugger, but ultimately all of our stuff, and the ways we make it and move it around, depends on the Earth carrying out its own natural processes. Everything we do impacts those processes in some way, so it's in humanity's interest and the world's interest to reduce the destructive impacts and use non-destructive means whenever possible, to ensure that the big rock can keep up with our ever-increasing demand.
      So what you say is true, from a financial perspective it may not be important. But from China's perspective - a nation of over a billion people that is rapidly expanding and growing and industrializing - throughput of energy, the impact of its availability and consumption, and the efficiency at which it is consumed is terribly important. As mentioned, they are making efforts to be "green" and efficient in many industries - data centers are just one more place to do that.

  4. Re:FTFY by Rennt · · Score: 3, Informative

    China is the largest investor in renewable energy of any country in the world. [ http://lmgtfy.com/?q=largest+renewable+energy+investor+by+country ]

  5. Re:FTFY by Hermanas · · Score: 4, Informative

    [1] China leads world in green energy investment
    [2] Top Countries For Renewable Energy Capacity
    [3] Actually, China accounts for 70% of green energy investment

  6. Re:Chinese are pragmatic by koxkoxkox · · Score: 3, Informative

    Do not despair, India is much worse and they will soon outnumber China.