WP#51 - Power Equipment and Data Center Design

Overview

WP#51 is a Green Grid guide dated 15 November 2012 on designing an efficient data centre power system. Its editors are David Loucks (Eaton) and Stephen McCluer (Schneider), and many authors contributed to it. Access requires signing in with a free Green Grid account; this record rests only on the abstract on the public library page, and the full text was not read.

The guide covers power system configurations and how a data centre is grown over time. This matches the real situation in which a facility is built in stages rather than at full capacity at once. Staged growth means equipment runs at partial load at each stage, so efficiency has to be considered at every load step and not only at full load.

The document details the power system components and the measurement and control points for each. It also provides implementation timetables for each component as a quick reference for the designer. Defining measurement points component by component bears directly on the question of which points to use when measuring PUE. This helps the design consider measurability from the start. Defining measurement points per component makes it possible to track the power chain's efficiency part by part and to see how much each component contributes to losses.

The record contains no numerical findings or component-level detail; these appear only in the full text and are not given here. The document dates from 2012, so it is best read as a reference for configuration and measurement logic rather than for current product features. Its most concrete value for a designer is the reminder to plan power chain components together with their measurement and control points.

Key points

1. The guide is dated 15 November 2012; editors are David Loucks (Eaton) and Stephen McCluer (Schneider).
2. It covers power system configurations and how a data centre is grown over time.
3. It details power system components and their measurement and control points.
4. It provides implementation timetables for each component as a quick reference.
5. Many authors contributed to the document.
6. Staged growth makes part-load efficiency important at each stage.
7. Access requires a free account sign-in; this record rests on the public page abstract.

Using it in design

• In phased-build planning, support staged UPS and generator modules with efficiency at each load step.
• Place metering points per component; they feed the PUE measurement category.
• Match the component implementation timetables to the project commissioning plan.
• When comparing power chain configurations, also evaluate the facility's part-load operation in the first phase.

Who should read it

Electrical engineers designing efficient power systems and planners of phased data centre capacity.

Publication details

Authors

David Loucks; Stephen McCluer; Lynn Simmons; John Collins; George Navarro; Dusty Becker; Bill Campbell; Harry Handlin; Mark Szalkus; Brad Thrash; Pamela Lembke; Kevin Bross; Shaun Harris; Jim Spitaels

Publisher

The Green Grid

Year

2012

Document number

WP 51

Document language

English

Source type

Industry body

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation