Verne Global's data center has performed more efficiently than initial expectations, thanks to the capacity and cost savings resulting from a free cooling system based on technology from Eaton-Williams, an affiliate of CES Group, LLC. Located in Keflavik, Iceland, the facility is the world’s first zero-carbon, 100% renewably powered data center. The center utilizes an innovative free cooling system that takes advantage of the moderate Icelandic climate and taps into the island’s vast geothermal and hydroelectric resources. Working in partnership with Colt Data Center Services, CES Group customized a modular data center hall design with free cooling that brings in outdoor air to the server rooms, eliminating the need for mechanical cooling and associated energy costs. After two years of operation, the performance of the data center has exceeded the expected 80 percent savings in energy costs and has resulted in improved server performance.
The solution developed for Verne Global incorporated complex algorithms to provide the correct levels of cooling without using mechanical cooling. The task involved taking full advantage of the ambient air conditions and designing the required parameters. The end result was an N+1 cooling system customized with primary cooling being supplied by direct free cooling from the outside air. Each unit has multiple variable speed electronically commutated fans to precisely match airflow to the cooling demand in order to further reduce energy use and provide N+1 resilience. The system and its controls help ensure that temperature levels in the data center are maintained at 18°C to 27°C (64.4°F to 80.6°F) with humidity between 30 and 70 percent relative humidity by the primary system of direct free cooling. Secondary cooling is via indirect free air with a glycol heat exchanger. Since the opening of the data center, Verne Global has used 100 percent free cooling in either direct or indirect mode. This cooling system efficiency contributes to the data center’s impressive overall PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) that has been tested to 1.21.
