A small Silicon Valley testbed run by Sun Microsystems and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab has achieved significant power savings through the use of DC power distribution instead of AC (grid) power. The study found that energy savings of 10 to 20 percent were possible by the more efficient movement of power through the facility.

The study is seen as a step towards convincing data center end users that DC distribution is a workable alternative to AC power, which must be converted to DC within the data center, with more than 20 percent of total wattage often being lost in the process. The LBL team noted that DC power distribution "has not yet made significant inroads into many data centers because the technology is unfamiliar to many facilities engineers."

With power issues dominating data center budgets and a real-world implementation available, is a shift to DC power around the corner? One of the leading advocates of DC data centers is Peter Gross, the CEO and chief technology officer of EYP Mission Critical Facilities, an engineering firm that has participated in many high reliability projects. Gross outlined the case for DC data centers at the DataCenterDynamics event in New York in May...

Data Center Knowledge features the writing of Rich Miller, a veteran journalist who has covered all aspects of the data center and hosting industry.

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