Data centers' cooling systems vary in terms of water use, efficiency
The growing number of data centers in Ohio is raising concerns about their utility consumption, particularly water and electricity. The article highlights how cooling methods significantly impact a data center's water usage, contrasting efficient closed-loop systems with less efficient evaporative cooling.
The increasing presence of data centers in Ohio has sparked scrutiny regarding their utility consumption, especially water and electricity, which are crucial for cooling the vast numbers of servers they house. Jeremy Lavelle, Vice President of Operations at H5 Data Centers in Cleveland, explained the critical role of cooling systems in maintaining online services for a diverse clientele ranging from small local businesses to hyper-scale and AI customers.
H5 Data Centers, which opened its Cleveland facility in 2015, utilizes a closed-loop cooling system. This system involves air-cooled chillers on the roof that cool water, which is then circulated to cool air blown over servers. The heated air returns to be re-cooled, with very minimal water loss, primarily limited to restrooms and kitchenettes. However, Lavelle noted that closed-loop systems require a significant amount of electricity, adding 30% to 50% to the power needed to run the servers themselves.
Conversely, Ashlesa Mohapatra, a sustainability researcher with ServerLifts, a company involved in data center construction, highlighted that not all cooling methods are water-efficient. She pointed out that evaporative cooling, a common method, results in water being lost to the atmosphere. A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projected that data centers consumed over 17 billion gallons of water in 2023, a figure that could double by 2028. Mohapatra suggested that public pressure over high water usage could drive data centers toward developing and adopting more sustainable and efficient cooling technologies.