Data Centre & Server Initiative
Consolidation for improved system reliability
Electricity use for data servers is growing at an annual rate of 14%, and it is doubling every five years.
Fortunately, methods and tools exist that can consolidate data servers, allowing fewer units to perform the functions of several, and permitting the removal of unnecessary servers. These methods include the use of virtualization software, the installation of high-performance servers, and other technologies and measures.
If you operate data servers, BC Hydro can help
BC Hydro's new Data Centre and Server Initiative offers financial incentives and tools to help commercial customers identify and implement server consolidation solutions in their data centres.
The offer
You may be eligible to receive funding for the following measures:
- Data centre assessment studies
BC Hydro customers may qualify for funding towards an in-depth data centre assessment study to identify consolidation opportunities and the best approaches to improving the energy efficiency of your data centre.* - Project implementation incentives
In addition, projects may qualify for project funding to install consolidation and energy conservation measures in your data centre. Projects that qualify for incentives will be required to meet certain minimum thresholds, one of which is based on the total electrical savings of the project, with a minimum energy savings of 100,000 kWh per year per project. This is equivalent to decommissioning approximately 50 219-watt servers.
The benefits of server consolidation
- Reduction in physical servers at ratios ranging from 7:1 to as high as 30:1
- Improved data centre reliability, raising your third-party reliability ranking
- Lower operating and ongoing energy costs
- Improved manageability through centralized monitoring and the management of large virtual infrastructure environments and reduced labour requirements
- Enhanced ability to handle future growth in data centres
- Reduced space requirements for remaining servers
- Reduced cooling demand and cooling costs
Consolidation options
The two most effective methods of server consolidation are virtualization software and physical hardware consolidation. Other energy-efficient measures and technologies can also help and may be considered for incentives.
- Virtualization software
Server virtualization software aggregates processor, memory, disk and networking capacity. The remaining CPUs run at much higher utilization rates and are much more energy efficient than the original physical servers. - Hardware consolidation
The number of servers in a data centre may be reduced by adding new hardware or making better use of existing hardware. For example, installing high-performance units such as Blade Servers allows the removal of less powerful servers.
Eligibility
To qualify to the Data Centre and Server Initiative:
- You must be a BC Hydro Power Smart Partner.
- Projects must meet minimum requirements of 100,000 kWh per year in energy savings and a minimum payback period of two years.
Getting started
To find our more on how to improve your data centre performance and efficiency, contact us to schedule a pre-assessment:
Lower Mainland: 604 522 4713 or elsewhere in B.C.: 1 866 522 4713.
Find out more
Read about how Accenture [PDF, 1.5 Mb] improved BC Hydro data centre's energy consumption by 30% and raised their third-party data centre reliability ranking.
Last Modified: Sep 30, 2010