Sklubi AlumniWeekend 23.10.2010: Reijo Maihaniemi Electricity Consumption: General Electricity Savings Through DC Power Feed DC Data Center Projects in the World ICT Energy saving actions

2. Green ICT
Reijo Maihaniemi
President and CEO
Efore Plc
October 23, 2010

3. Content
• Electricity Consumption: General
• Electricity Savings Through DC Power Feed
• DC Data Center Projects in the World
• ICT Energy saving actions

4. Electricity Consumption
General

5. WIRELINE (FIXED) ACCESS
WIRELESS (MOBILE) ACCESS
INTERNET SERVICES
(DATACENTER)
CORE NETWORK
FIBER
Broadband ICT
BTS
DSLAM
HE
ROUTER

6. Power Consumption Need during a day
Power
consumption
Traffic

7. ICT Electricity Consumption in Finland
• Developed country, population 5.3 milj., 7 milj. mobile phones,
2.2 milj. broadband lines, 1.5 milj. ordinary lines
• ICT power consumption 6.7 TWh representing 7.4% of all
electricity consumption
– Data Centers: 0.8 TWh > 2015: 1.6 TWh (1.7%)
– Telecom: 1.3 TWh > 2015: 2.6 TWh (2.7%)
– CPE equipment: 4.6 TWh > 2015: 6.0 TWh (6.3%)
• ICT consumption means to use 800 GW nuclear power station
whole capacity. In 2015 even 1200 GW is needed
• CAGR 15%, doubling in 5 years, especially due to mobility growth
and rapid increase of broadband lines. Further on, several new
large Data Centers are under planning, their power needs >10
MW/unit
• Finland is an ideal place for Data Centers due to political support,
chilly climate as well as good availability of quality electricity and
experienced ICT engineers

8. Broadband consumes extensively electricity
• Higher used frequence and higher bandwidth need exponentially
more electricity per unit than low frequence/low bandwidth
• 2G > 3G > LTE coverage will need 2 >4 >16 times electricity
• adsl >vdsl lines will need 2 >4 times electricity
• Broadband has come to stay, both wireline and wireless
• Data storage is moved from homes and offices to Data Centres,
thanks to Internet and broadband connections

9. Price of Electricity, c/kWh

10. Electricity Savings Through
DC Power Feed

11. Energy Saving in Data Center Power Architecture
• Minimize number of conversion steps
• Efficiency near load is more critical

12. DC Power Feed: advantages/disadvantages
• Advantages
– DC is a native powering mode for any electronics. In high power
consumption, higher voltage DC should be used
– DC/DC conversion is simpler and more cost efficient conversion
than AC/DC or DC/AC
– DC-UPS on simpler, more reliable and clearly more energy
efficient UPS than equivalent AC-UPS due to less hardware and
power conversions needed. Should be implemented e-2-e.
Distribution cabling is more simple
– DC feed does not generate magnetic fields, corrupting server and
router memories. DC provides many further advantages in
reduced electrical noise and improved transient protection. All
these issues escalate in high power solutions
– High energy efficiency means less heat dissipation, which means
less cooling arrangements, which means less floor space
– DC breakers and distribution switchboards are readily available
with appropriate regulatory approvals
– Easier to connect alternative energy sources and energy storages
like fuel cells, wind and solar energy sources

13. DC Data Center Projects
in the World
Kick Off:
Report to Congress on Server and Data Center
Energy Efficiency Public Law 109-431
EPA Report, August 2, 2007
130 pages

14. LBNL & Sun demonstrator (the “Bible”)
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Sun demonstrator, March 2008
• Availability of DC Equipment: The Demonstration Project showed that DC-powered
servers exist in the same form factor as AC servers or can be built and operated from
existing components with minimal effort
• Reliability: Anecdotal data shows that DC-powered data centers have the potential to
be more reliable than AC-powered data centers
• Efficiency improvement from “typical” US 480Vac system to “best in class” 380Vdc
system is reported to be 26% (61%  87%). An improvement of over 28% is possible in
an average data center. This means the DC distribution system, as demonstrated, will
have the potential of using 28% less energy than the typical AC system found in today’s
data centers (Note: Efore has also calculated 28% savings well possible!)
• Integration with Other Sources: The use of DC in data center can also simplify the
integration of alternative energy sources, such as solar and other forms of renewable
energy, as well as fuel cells and distributed generation, which are all DC-based
• Educational Issues: Of significant concerns is the lack of industry knowledge of the
advantages of DC distribution, as well as misconceptions about DC power

15. Power Consumption Reduction with DC Feed
in Japan
Source: Tech-On, Mar 5, 2009

16. DC Feed Vision for Japan
Source: Tech-On, Mar 5, 2009

17. Example of DC System Development: NTT
• June 2008: NTT Group announced officially it would implement a phased switch to DC supplies group wide.
NTT will aim at launching dc power demonstrations within fiscal 2009. Data centers will begin introducing 300V to 400Vdc
supplies from 2010 by NTT Group. NTT Facilities, Inc. will conduct verification tests of the developed 400Vdc power system,
protection system, engineering, and plug & socket keeping pace with the NTT group, which has been working on the
promotion of direct current distribution, and aim to commercialize them by 2010.
• February 2009: NTT DoCoMo Testing DC-powered Data Center (48Vdc)
NTT DoCoMo unveiled its Tachikawa ICT Ecology Center, which was established in the NTT DoCoMo Tachikawa Building (in
Tachikawa City, Tokyo), to the press Feb 19, 2009. … "We aim to reduce CO2
emissions by 50% compared with existing
facilities," the company said. … NTT DoCoMo adopted three measures to cut CO2
emissions. They are the introductions of
(1) servers that consume less power, (2) DC power supply technologies and (3) new air conditioning technologies. …
…. The voltage value for the DC supply technologies is -48V, which is widely used for communication facilities of the NTT
Group. The power supply devices for DC distribution were newly developed by NTT Facilities Inc and have a higher
conversion efficiency than existing devices, according to NTT DoCoMo. …
… The proving tests will be completed by the end of March 2009, but NTT DoCoMo will continue to introduce new
technologies and test their CO2
reduction effects. One of those technologies is the high voltage direct current (HVDC)
technology, which uses a voltage as high as 400V. But the schedule for its proving tests is yet to be decided.
"In respect to the HVDC technology, the voltage varies depending on region, and there are few types of servers that support
the technology," the company said. "So, we will not start proving tests in the near future though we are still interested in
them. Some companies in the NTT Group, like NTT Facilities and NTT Data are developing technologies related to the HVDC.
In light of the results of them, we will conduct proving tests at an appropriate time.
Source: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20090224/166209/
• October 2009: NTT Facilities presents 400Vdc equipment at Intelec 2009 conference, Korea
400Vdc equipment: rectifiers (9kW and 13kW), voltage compensator, battery charger (cooperation with Origin Electric and
Shindengen); connector plug and power strip (cooperation with Fujitsu).
Several papers covering various aspects of a 400Vdc system.
Deployment to NTT datacenters in 2010.

18. SYRACUSE, N.Y. & BROOKFIELD, CT - 19 January 2010
• Syracuse University, in partnership with IBM and the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), have gone
live with the world's greenest data center (GDC) powered with direct
current (DC)
• When the GDC becomes fully operational, it is anticipated to use about
50 percent less energy than a typical data center in operation today,
making it one of the world's "greenest" computer centers
• By leveraging modern DC power technology designed for today's
energy-conscious organizations, Syracuse University is running its
systems at a fraction of the cost of a conventional AC-powered data
center
• With the new Green Data Center, Syracuse implemented the system
with Validus DC Systems technology, allowing the AC power generated
by micro-turbines and/or the utility to be efficiently converted only once
to direct current
• http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/28946.wss

19. DC Data Center in Hammarö/Karlstadt
Source: Netpower 2010
12 kV
500 kVA

20. Netpower building blocks
Hexaformer,
efficiency 98,5%
1,5 kVA rectifier module,
efficiency 98%
400 V socket Power Control
unit/software
System Cabinet

21. AC/DC vs. DC/DC Power Supply Unit

22. ICT Energy Saving Actions

23. ICT goes for Green: Save Energy 1/2
• Full deployment of hardware (networking and computing)
– simplify architecture at telecom and datacom sites
– use virtualization and power management in servers
– increase payload by cutting overhead traffic: less
transmission control protocols
– reduce network complexity
– reduce oversizing, reduce doubled configurations
• Increase Power Efficiency
– reduce cascaded power conversions
– use converters of high energy efficiency
– use intelligent power units to manage load
– consider alternative energy sources: wind, solar, water
– reuse the heat generated

24. ICT goes for Green: Save Energy 2/2
• Invest in new technology
– DC driven power solution
– apply sleep-mode in network nodes: variable power
– fuel cells, supercaps, new technology batteries and
flywheels to replace old back up technologies: avoid
contaminating diesels and lead acid batteries
– measure payload efficiency and power consumption
– invest in better control and management solution
• User energy saving attitude
– switch off CPE equipment when not in use
– apply sleep-mode in CPE units
– increase teleworking, videoconferencing, etc.
– apply decentralized offices

25. A new-technology research and development
laboratory at Helsinki University of Technology
• At TKK Efore is doing research
on renewable and alternative
energy sources and carrying out
various R&D projects aimed at
improving energy efficiency
• Combination of wind- and solar-
energy sources as well as fuel
cells are tested together with
new Li-Ion battery technologies.
All connected to an intelligent
Efore OPUS centralized
management system

26. Efore Group web-site: www.efore.com
Power Innovation GmbH
Efore USA Inc.
Efore (Suzhou)
Electronics Co., Ltd.
Efore PlcEfore AB
Efore AS

27. Thank You For Your Attention !
reijo.maihaniemi@efore.fi