October 2010
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EMerge Alliance Advances DC Power Distribution Platform to Focus on Energy Efficient Data Centers
Organization forms new technical committee,
expands advisory council and adds members
SAN RAMON, CALIF. (Oct. 19, 2010) – The EMerge Alliance – an open industry
association leading the rapid adoption of safe direct-current (DC) power
distribution standards for commercial buildings – today announced it has formed
a new technical standard committee for data and telecommunications centers and
added 11 new members as part of the group’s planned expansion to address
building-wide opportunities for reduced power consumption.
In response
to the ongoing need for improved reliability and energy efficiency in data
centers, along with a growing interest in the benefits of DC power
distribution, the EMerge Alliance is developing a 380-volt DC power standard
for inclusion in its hybrid alternating current (AC) and DC microgrid
platform. This open architecture focuses on reducing or eliminating
inefficient AC to DC conversions that occur between power sources and digital
devices in commercial buildings by converting and distributing power in DC
form. More than 70 organizations have now joined the Alliance in support of this approach, and
membership continues to grow.
Newest members
include Cooper Industries, DTE Energy, Emerson Network Power and Spear Point
Energy at the Participating level; TSM / LEDingEDGE and Verve Living Systems, a
subsidiary of Masco Corporation, at the General level; Intel and Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI) at the Corresponding level; Enviro Energy Partners
and FSP–Powerland Technology at the Supporting level; and the Connected Vehicle
Trade Association at the Liaison level. The Alliance has also appointed new
advisory council members, including Anthony Brower, Gensler; Brian Fortenberry,
EPRI; Bill Tschudi, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Konstantinos
Papamichael, Ph.D., California Lighting Technology Center, University of
California, Davis; Nana Wilberforce, The PNC Financial Services Group; and Kurt
Yeager, The Galvin Electricity Initiative.
According
to Alliance Chairman Brian Patterson, the EMerge platform can offer significant
energy savings to a broad range of commercial facilities, with some of the
greatest opportunities in offices and high-tech buildings.
“The
completion of our first 24-volt DC standard for interior spaces has established
a foundation and roadmap for specification of DC-based systems in other
settings,” said Patterson. “We’re moving forward with the next phase of our
plan, which will help make DC power distribution a reality in data centers and,
ultimately, for entire buildings.”
In addition
to energy savings, other potential benefits of DC power distribution in
computing environments include improved power quality, reduced cooling needs,
higher equipment densities, reduced heat-related failures, improved reliability
and simplified, more efficient integration of on-site renewable energy
generation.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Alliance board has
appointed EPRI’s Dennis Symanski to chair the new standard committee, which
will involve a collaboration of power, infrastructure, controls and device
manufacturers, and others who can provide products and services needed to
support the implementation of this standard. A new Corresponding
membership classification has also been created to allow government, academic
and other interested parties to contribute to the development of EMerge
standards through participation in technical committees.
“In order
to accelerate market adoption of DC power distribution with telco and IT data
centers and beyond, we need industry-wide participation to develop a standard
that will enable compatibility and interoperability of all parts of the
system,” said Guy AlLee, a research scientist with Intel Labs. “The secret to
maximizing energy efficiency is to use the highest possible voltage with the
fewest number of power conversions while staying with volume components. We’re
working on solutions that can accomplish both for significant savings in data
centers.”
A strong
proponent for DC
microgrids in commercial and industrial facilities, including data centers,
Intel Labs is planning an installation that will showcase both 24- and 380-volt
DC EMerge standards at its New Mexico Energy Systems Research Center, including
photovoltaic (PV), a world-class PUE data center, energy storage, office
lighting and electric vehicle (EV) charging.
Additionally,
research and evaluation of a DC-powered modular data center is already underway
at the University
of California, San Diego
(UCSD), where researchers are monitoring the energy efficiency of information
and communication technologies. The project has incorporated custom
first-generation 380-volt DC equipment that is expected to evolve to commercial
availability through the work of the EMerge Alliance membership. UCSD is also
home to one of the first EMerge 24-volt DC microgrid systems in the nation,
which incorporates on-site solar panels and was deployed in the school’s new Sustainability
Resource Center in 2009.
About the EMerge Alliance
The EMerge Alliance is an open industry association leading the rapid
adoption of safe DC power distribution in commercial buildings through the
development of EMerge Alliance standards. These innovative standards integrate
interior infrastructures, power, controls and devices in a common microgrid
platform to facilitate the hybrid use of AC and DC power throughout buildings
for unprecedented design and space flexibility, greater energy efficiency and
improved sustainability. The not-for-profit Alliance is accepting new members at various
levels. For more information, please visit www.EMergeAlliance.org.
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