Analysis of Electrical Energy Utilization and Management in Data Centres: Case Study of Wananchi Group (K) Limited Data Centre

Abstract

As our current society and economy continues to shift towards digital transformation, there is an increased demand for internet services, storage of data and network communication and hence increased size and number of data centres across the globe. The amount of electrical energy consumed in these data centres has in recent years experienced continuous increase hence leading to high operational energy cost and high carbon footprint since some of the energy is generated from thermal power plants. This study employed the Power Usage Effectiveness and Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency metrics to analyze the level of electrical energy efficiency at Wananchi Group (K) Limited Data Centre. Data collection involved the use of historical records and real-time measurements using various instruments. The study established that the year 2021 average annual Power Usage Effectiveness and Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency metrics for the data centre were 1.82 and 55.55% respectively which compares favorably with the average values obtained from data centres in Europe whose metric values were 1.8 and 55.6 %. The maximum electrical load of the data centre facility was found to be 177.06 kW with the average load being 159.504 kW. The reliability of the mains supply to the data centre from the local utility company, Kenya Power, for the year 2021 in terms of availability was found to be 99.79% which is below the recommended value of 99.999%. Several energy conservation measures at the facility were identified and their economic viability analyzed with the replacement of the fluorescent tubes with light emitting diode tubes energy conservation measure having the shortest payback period of 2.22 months. Validation of some of the proposed energy conservation measures was done in terms of the annual energy savings and the CO2 emission reduction against other studies and it was noted they all had comparable values.