IBM rolls out First Solar Array
IBM has rolled out the first solar-power array designed specifically to run high-voltage data centers, integrating AC- and DC-based servers, water-cooled computing systems and related electronics. The new array is spread over more than 6,000 square feet of rooftop. The solar array is capable of providing a 50-kilowatt supply of electricity for up to 330 days a year, for an average of five hours a day.
IBM plans for the Bangalore solar-power system to connect directly into the data center's water-cooling and high-voltage DC systems. The integrated solution can provide a compute power of 25 to 30 teraflops using a POWER 775 system on a 50kW solar power supply. This solar deployment, currently powering almost 20 per cent 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. 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," said Dr. Ponani Gopalakrishnan, Vice-President, IBM India Software Lab.
High-voltage, DC computer servers and water-cooling systems are beginning to replace traditional, AC-powered servers and air-conditioning units in data centers. IBM's Bangalore array is the first move to blend solar-power, water-cooling and power-conditioning into a "snap-together" package suitable to run massive configurations of electronic equipment. The technology behind solar power has been around for many years, but until now, no one has engineered it for efficient use in IT. We have designed a solar solution to bring a new source of clean, reliable and efficient power to energy-intensive, industrial-scale electronics," said Rod Adkins, Senior Vice-President, IBM Systems & Technology Group.
IBM plans to make the new solar-power technology available to clients.
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