How to use energy monitoring systems to optimize data center operations

Digital Transformation is creating unprecedented demands on what is often referred to as the central nervous system of our economy, the data center. Currently, data centers account for approximately 2% of the U.S. electricity use with enough energy demand equivalent to a small city or town. Emerging technologies like AI and the rise of edge computing are only driving more increases in rack densities far beyond expectations requiring data center designers and operators to re-think how we build sustainable energy resilient mission critical facilities, not to mention the public pressures to simultaneously reduce a building’s carbon footprint.

There are multiple strategies data center designers can use to support energy management, monitor progress and record results. The process of connecting components, collecting and analyzing data and taking action on insights are necessary elements in a good sustainability design plan. One of the key metrics in data center energy monitoring is power usage effectiveness (PUE), which tracks efficiency. This course provides an overview of data center building management system (BMS) and electrical power monitoring system (EPMS) benefits, as well as the different industry tier classifications.

Learning objectives:

• Explain electrical and mechanical challenges specific to data centers.
• Accurately describe components of a building management system (BMS).
• Correctly discuss the differences between a BMS and an electrical power monitoring system (EPMS).
• Identify the tier level ranking system correlating to infrastructure reliability.
• Discuss the power usage effectiveness (PUE) levels.
• Describe electrical design considerations for data centers.

Presented By:
Greg Vlassopoulos Jr., Consultant Solution Architect, Data Centers, Schneider Electric

Moderated By:
Anna Steingruber, Associate Editor, CFE Media and Technology