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New educational series to explore benefits and technical considerations of adopting DC power distribution in data centers
SAN RAMON, CALIF. – The EMerge Alliance – an open industry association leading the rapid adoption of safe direct-current (DC) power distribution standards for commercial buildings – has announced the release of a white paper entitled, “380VDC Architectures for the Modern Data Center.”
Continuous increases in global power consumption and a shift in the power profile of modern loads have created a need for improved and more efficient power distribution for mission critical applications. Because electronic loads are natively DC, DC power distribution architectures can eliminate costly and inefficient AC/DC and DC/AC conversions found in traditional AC UPS backup solutions.
“380VDC Architectures for the Modern Data Center,” is the first in a series of white papers commissioned by the nonprofit EMerge Alliance to examine the economics, reliability, safety and efficiency of using 380VDC as a vehicle for optimization and simplification of the critical electrical system in the modern data center.
According to Tim Martinson, data center marketing chair for the membership-based EMerge Alliance, the first paper was designed to introduce the currently available DC technology and topologies for data centers and provide a foundation for deeper discussions about AC and DC power from an architectural and engineering perspective.
“In order to convey a fair and complete analysis of the comparisons between AC and DC power, we must start with the foundation, define the underlying issues and validate the emerging technology,” said Martinson. “This paper presents distribution architecture concepts that have been adopted and verified in data centers, and are ready for practical, immediate implementation to increase reliability, reduce CAPEX and OPEX, and simplify integration of solar, wind, fuel cells and micro-turbines.”
To download “380VDC Architectures for the Modern Data Center,” visit www.EMergeAlliance.org/Resources/Education.
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 nonprofit Alliance is supported by more than 100 member organizations and continues to accept new members at various levels. For more information, please visit www.EMergeAlliance.org.
