Power Supplies

Links: High-Efficiency Server Power Conversion Calculator • High-Efficiency DC Power Server Architecture • Loading Guidelines • Guidelines and Protocols

Power supplies convert high voltage AC power into the low voltage DC power needed by the circuitry found within servers, routers, hubs, switches, data storage units, and other electronic equipment used in data centers and commercial buildings. Typical server power supplies operate at roughly 65% to 75% efficiency, meaning that 25 to 35% of all the energy consumed by servers is wasted (converted to heat) within their power supplies. The technology exists to achieve efficiencies of 80% to 90% in conventional server power supplies. Even greater efficiencies might be possible by systematically replacing the chain of AC power generation, AC-DC-AC uninterruptible power supplies, and AC-DC power supplies with a direct DC power system in data centers.

Ecos Consulting and EPRI's Power Electronics Applications Center (PEAC) are working together to categorize current server power supplies by type, characterize the energy savings opportunity, develop standardized efficiency testing protocols, measure efficiencies across a range of load conditions, and propose efficiency metrics that can employed by power supply buyers, manufacturers, and utilities to accelerate sales of efficient designs for use in data centers.

The project's latest research results are reported here.

Other documents can be found here.