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Big Opportunities In DC | ||||||||||
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he introduction of dc powering architecture is expected to play a large part in the effort to conserve energy in a number of industries that traditionally consume large amounts of electricity. These industries include data centers and telecommunications facilities, both of which use large amounts of electricity without much regard for efficiency. In fact it has been an acceptable practice to trade off energy efficiency and operating costs for the sake of system reliability. However, in recent years a number of factors have emerged that may change that practice, and a debate is taking place on how to cope with the increasing need for electricity and the associated costs to power these facilities. Traditional ac power architectures for data centers house a large amount of equipment, including individual servers, power supplies, back-up systems and additional energy consuming components. The individual power supplies within each server convert the ac input voltage into a voltage appropriate for the unit’s needs. Since the power supplies used in data centers are typically redundant, this results in an energy inefficient system which generates substantial heat which the room’s air conditioning system must remove at additional expense. The waste heat generated within these centers can also impose limits on the number of servers that can be housed within the data center and can jeopardize reliability if not handled properly. As a result, managers and other data center professionals are looking to dc power architectures as an alternative solution to the traditional ac power architectures. Proponents for a dc power architecture claim that it has the potential to eliminate the biggest source of energy loss and waste in traditional ac systems: the multiple back and forth transformations and conditioning needed to step voltage down for use by the load equipment. There can be up to six or more power conversion stages between the facility input voltage and the voltage required by the microprocessor or other data processing circuits. The argument is that the adoption of a dc power architecture system would allow the conversion of the high-voltage ac input to a dc voltage earlier, keeping it in a dc distribution voltage format and delivering it to rack-based servers. This same principal also holds true for telecommunications facilities. Although they already use 48Vdc power, they are starting to look a lot like data centers. Both data centers and telecom COs have been installing lots of IT equipment; both are adding new services and capabilities; and both are running out of power, cooling and space. Further adoption of a dc power distribution system in this industry may help overcome traditional constraints in the development of new transmission capacity. Not all dc power opportunities are in large facilities. Dc power can also be used to improve efficiency at the lower-voltage levels. The addition of dc power delivery systems to homes, office building and commercial facilities offers the potential for significant improvements in energy delivery efficiency, reliability, power quality and cost of operation. Most of these facilities are currently dominated by fixed overhead lighting and a variety of electrical devices that are typically wired for the building’s lifetime rather than the occupants or residents evolving needs. As a result, building designers and owners are looking for systems to make buildings more adaptable and allow the integration of infrastructure, equipment and furnishings that can improve energy efficiency. Addressing these concerns will lead to the further deployment of new power, control and device-level technology designed for commercial interiors and developed around the use of safe low-voltage direct current power. Although opportunities exist in both new installations and retrofits, according to the EMerge Alliance, which was established to promote the rapid adoption of safe, low-voltage dc power distribution and use in commercial building interiors, 80% of the market opportunities are in the updating and retrofitting of commercial buildings. In fact, the ability to distribute low-voltage dc power within common infrastructures is already present in commercial interiors. As an example, dc power is ideally suited for integration in the ceiling plane, providing facility managers with the ability to readily arrange and rearrange lighting, sensors, actuators and other devices without the need for rewiring. The adoption of dc power also embraces the trend towards using on-site alternative energy sources such as wind or solar power, by providing a means of direct and more efficient connection between the new energy sources and interior electrical loads, like lighting and controls.
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