Syracuse University’s green data center project deploys Server Technology PDU’s

The new Syracuse University data center, expected to be powered entirely by energy generated on-site, will deploy Server Technology’s 415 V 3-phase cabinet power distribution units, according to the vendor. The 12,000-square-foot facility, expected to come online in January, is a collaborative project between the university, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and IBM.

ServerTech says its PDU’s are more efficient that the 208 V 3-phase solutions – a technology more typically used in North America. Greater efficiencies are achieved by omitting power conversion down to 120 V prior to its delivery to the equipment cabinet, avoiding conversion-related losses. The vendor promises overall three- to five-percent efficiency gains in facilities that deploy its solution over the 208 V systems.

The $12.4-million Syracuse University data center is expected to use half of energy a typical facility of equivalent size uses. It will provide 6,000 square feet of raised floor, with the rest of the space occupied by the electrical and mechanical infrastructure.

Its on-site generation system uses microturbines fueled by natural gas and will generate all the electricity necessary to power and cool the facility, enabling it to operate completely off-grid.

Builders of the new Syracuse University data center are aiming to achieve the USGBC LEED Silver certification for the facility

Additional efficiencies are enabled by the facility’s DC power distribution system. Typically, AC power comes into a data center through the utility grid it is hooked up to and then converted to DC power to run the servers. By generating DC power on site, the university’s data center avoids the AC-DC conversion losses.

The data center will serve the university’s IT needs. IBM and the university also plan on providing research and analysis services to clients that want to achieve greater energy efficiency in their new or existing data centers.

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