Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is a metric that provides data center operators with a quick estimate of the room's energy efficiency. It indicates the ratio between the electrical power required by the servers and the electrical power required by the other equipment necessary for the data center's proper functioning, such as air conditioning, UPS systems, and lighting. The PUE value helps determine the level of improvements needed to achieve greater operational efficiency.
Establishing this parameter is the necessary first step in a series of coordinated efforts to optimize the use of energy resources in a data center, adhering to the principle that "what is not measured cannot be managed." The use, implementation, and understanding of this metric will allow us to determine, for example, whether it is possible to optimize an existing data center before considering building a new one.
It is worth noting that approximately 30 to 40% of a company's energy consumption is dedicated to IT. The price of computer equipment is decreasing while the cost of energy is increasing, currently reaching a point of parity.
Abast Systems has developed the ABAST PUE ANALYZER using technological equipment from Carlo Gavazzi. It is an economical, simple, graphical visualization solution that is very easy to install and manage, suitable for any data center regardless of size.
The ABAST PUE ANALYZER Starter Pack solution consists of an analyzer with a color display and two measuring probes: one for measuring the total power of the data center and the other for measuring the total power of the IT equipment. The devices are connected via an RS485 bus and can support up to 247 devices.
The measuring probes analyze the power consumption (in kWh) of all data center equipment connected to the electrical grid every minute, and the analyzer calculates the PUE in real time. The desired PUE value is manually defined in the analyzer, and an alarm is generated if measurements exceed this value.
The analyzer stores up to 32,767 records (approximately 20 days). These records can be downloaded using the analyzer's software, and there is also an option to store them on an SD card.
The EM24 three-phase energy meter and analyzer features a built-in configuration selector and LCD data display. It is particularly suitable for active and reactive energy measurements and cost allocation. It includes a DIN rail mounting enclosure with IP50 protection (front), allowing direct connection up to 64A or via external current and voltage transformers for higher values. The meter can also be equipped with digital outputs, which can be used as pulse outputs proportional to the measured active and reactive energy, or as alarm outputs. An RS485 communication port and three digital inputs are also available.
