Energy Consumption and Energy Saving Analysis of Air-Conditioning Systems of Data Centers in Typical Cities in China

Abstract

The energy consumption status and energy saving potential of the air-conditioning systems of data centers in seven typical cities in China (Xinjiang, Beijing, Jinan, Shanghai, Nanning, Guilin, and Haikou), representing diverse climate regions, were studied. The power usage effectiveness (PUE) and cooling load factor (CLF) were taken as the evaluation indicators. First, the energy consumption situations of the existing air-conditioning systems were analyzed using an internship survey. Second, the meteorological data throughout the year for the seven cities were statistically analyzed. Then, two energy saving renovation schemes were proposed. The operating hours under different operating modes in the seven cities were calculated, and the PUE and energy saving potential of the two energy saving schemes were evaluated by taking the production of 15 °C chilled water as an example. This study provides an overall picture of the energy utilization status in the current Chinese data center market and provides solutions for improving the design of air-conditioning systems, with energy saving benefits.