Validus DC Systems -- which has created equipment to run
datacenters on DC rather than AC power -- has amassed an
impressive array of statistics on how DC power can drastically
reduce energy consumption. A DC-powered datacenter is 10 percent
more efficient than a state-of-the-art AC datacenter and 20
percent more efficient than a standard AC datacenter because of
the fewer number of conversions incoming electricity must endure
before it powers a server or storage system, according to Ron
Ranaldi, vice president of sales. Additionally, The purchase and
installation cost of DC equipment is around 30 percent to 35
percent less. Further reductions can be achieved by putting
datacenter air conditioning systems on a DC line. But the
biggest savings come in floor space. A DC datacenter requires 25
percent to 40 percent less square footage than their AC
counterparts, largely because computer equipment can connect
directly to backup batteries. Rooms full of uninterruptable
power supplies (UPS) and other equipment aren