HP’s new data center cools off with fresh air

Tech companies have figured out that adopting green ideas is a frugal way to add to their bottom line. HP is the latest to open a data center that uses cold fresh air from the North Sea to lower energy costs.

Data centers are special areas that house computer equipment like web servers or other storage devices. Servers require power to run and give off heat during operation. Because of that, the temperature of the facility must be monitored and tweaked to ensure that the equipment functions properly.

Cooling all of that tech stuff isn’t cheap, though. HP says that an average data center in the UK will spend $15.33 million in 2011 alone for cooling costs.

Instead of paying for expensive air conditioning units they wanted to use a different form of chilled air. HP chose to put their new Wynyard facility in North East England near Bellingham, an area only eight miles from the blustery North Sea.

Wynyard uses eight 2.2 meter fans to suck the cold air in while filters take out the usual contaminants like dust. The air sits in a compartment below the server halls before being forced through the racks of equipment. The servers also have a lighter paint job than the usual black which lowers lighting costs.

The temperature of the air is kept at 24°C (about 75°F) as it runs through the four 1,000 square meter halls. Air conditioners kick in whenever the outside temperature goes above 24°C. HP estimates that the air conditioners will run only twenty hours per year.

The Wynyard will average 11.7¢ per kWH and will save the company $1.4 million for each server hall annually. They aren’t at full capacity but they do have some notable clients like the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defense, and the appropriate muscle to guard the place.

It’s great to see companies like HP embracing not only green technology but a good dose of common sense. Decades ago our relatives may not have had access to CFL light bulbs but they knew enough to turn off a light when they left the room. Hopefully the EPA’s introduction of an Energy Star program for American data centers in June will help others make similar moves.