14 DAY TRIAL // IBM, finally built on all those promises of the IT industry that there would soon be solar-powered data centers, by inventing the first array meant to provide that energy.
It is fortunate for the IT industry that solar cells and all the technology related to harnessing solar power has evolved.
It was all that progress that enabled IBM to successfully create its new solar-power array.
This type of solution is supposed to help in the setting up of data centers in emerging markets where electrical grids are undependable or outright nonexistent.
Companies that operate in such areas do have a sort of solution alternative, diesel generators, but they are very expensive.
The new array that IBM made will let corporations power up data centers comprised of AC- and DC-based servers, water cooling and all other related electronics.
“The technology behind solar power has been around for many years, but until now, no one has engineered it for efficient use in IT,” said Rod Adkins, senior vice president, IBM Systems & Technology Group.
“We've designed a solar solution to bring a new source of clean, reliable and efficient power to energy-intensive, industrial-scale electronics.”
The new IBM array has been set up for its first role already, on the rooftop of IBM's India Software Lab in Bangalore. It is spread over more than 6,000 square feet (557 square meters).
It can provide 50 kilowatts of electricity for an average of five hours a day, 330 days a year and will connect directly to the water-cooling and high-voltage DC systems.
“This solar deployment, currently powering almost 20 percent of our own data center energy requirements, is the latest in the investments made at the India lab to design an efficient and smarter data center,” said Dr. Ponani Gopalakrishnan, VP, IBM India Software Lab.
“Ready access to renewable energy in emerging markets presents significant opportunities for IBM to increase efficiencies, improve productivity and drive innovation for businesses around the world.”