Power and cooling are critical needs for data centers – and both are driving up energy consumption and costs at the nerve centers of our world’s Internet- and data-based economy. A 2009 study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Green Grid showed that data centers are one of the world’s fastest-growing energy users, and researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that data centers consume up to 100 times more energy per square foot than commercial buildings.

Data center operators are looking for ways to lower the cost of maintaining their facilities – whether it’s using more efficient processors, turning off ghost servers or installing more efficient  cooling systems.

Emerson Network Power is one of the world’s leading providers of reliable power, precision cooling, infrastructure management, connectivity and embedded power technology solutions for data centers. Its products are designed to provide data center managers with technologies that deliver improved energy efficiency without sacrificing performance.

Emerson Network Power’s portfolio of solutions expanded in December 2009 with Emerson’s acquisition of Avocent Corp. Combining Avocent’s ability to access and control the physical aspects of network devices and servers in the rack with Emerson Network Power’s power systems and precision cooling solutions in the room will create a unique infrastructure management solution for data center managers and help them address their most pressing challenge – energy efficiency. 

The demand for cooling in a data center is one such challenge and corresponds directly to the amount of energy consumed by IT equipment, and tackling this root cause can produce additional energy savings. To meet this challenge, Emerson Network Power engineers developed Energy Logic – a road map that enables data center managers to prioritize and implement strategies and technologies already at their disposal to reduce energy consumption. Following Energy Logic strategies can cut a data center’s energy consumption without compromising performance or availability.

Emerson has put its technologies and Energy Logic strategies into practice at the company’s new state-of-the-art global data center in St. Louis that was completed in the summer of 2009. By utilizing Emerson Network Power products and solutions, following Energy Logic recommendations, and installing a 7,800-square-foot rooftop solar array, the 35,000-square-foot data center is 31 percent more energy-efficient than traditional data centers.  

The Emerson data center is equipped with many of Emerson’s innovative and proven technologies that enable energy-efficient management of business-critical applications and temperature-sensitive equipment – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including:

- Liebert online UPS systems correct power fluctuations to ensure continuous operation for critical systems to optimize efficiency and eliminate redundant operation.
- Liebert precision cooling technologies are used to provide cooling closer to the source of heat, to help eliminate waste cooling, prevent condensation, and reduce fan power requirements by 65 percent.
- Alber battery monitoring technology proactively identifies potential battery failure and more efficiently utilizes maintenance resources.
- Liebert surge protection products reduce downtime and damage, minimizing man-hours while simultaneously extending equipment life.
- Emerson Network Power’s Netsure DC power system is used to achieve the highest efficiency power conversion (approximately 96 percent) and reduce the total cost of ownership.
- The Knurr Miracel rack system, a light-weight aluminum system, is easily customizable and includes perforated doors for improved airflow.
- ASCO mission-critical power switching and controls synchronize, parallel and monitor on-site generator power and ensures continuous reliable operation through redundant controls.
- Liebert SiteScan and Aperture VISTA Infrastructure Process Management features real-time, remote monitoring and control of virtually any piece of critical support equipment.

Today, Emerson Network Power delivers solutions to the most critical constraints faced by data center managers today: power, cooling and space capacities. Through its breadth of industry-leading products and deep industry expertise, Emerson is helping information technology and facility managers take a crucial step in improving energy efficiency in their data centers.

Related Information:

     Emerson’s Global Data Center

     Emerson unveils state-of-the-art global data center in St. Louis

     Learn about Emerson’s new global data center (YouTube)