WP# 69 - The Importance of Ride-through Testing Data

15 November, 2016 | White Paper

Editor: Doug McIlvoy, Ecova Contributors: Wayne Cook, Dell, Inc. Alan French, Emerson Network Power Don Goddard, NetApp, Inc. Brian Griffith, Intel Corporation Harry Handlin, GE Energy Connections Mike Model, GE Energy Connections Jim Spitaels, Schneider Electric SE Charlie Swiontek, Murata Power Solutions

The concept of “Free Power Quality” is being promoted as a way of simultaneously improving data center performance and lowering the cost of energy. The method proposes the traditional data center power configuration be altered in new or unique ways that decrease total costs of ownership and/or increase efficiency without affecting the data center’s ability to meet operational needs. The idea is to reduce the number of power conversion stages in a data center power system while maintaining performance and reliability.

The Green Grid is a consortium that works to improve information and communications technology (ICT) and data center resource efficiency worldwide. In 2015, the association produced White Paper #63 – Free Power Quality, which investigates the feasibility of using available power to minimize the number of power conversion stages in the data center power infrastructure to achieve maximum efficiency while still meeting reliability requirements.

The Green Grid decided to explore another criteria affecting Free Power Quality: the ride-through performance, throughout the industry, of system equipment’s internal power supplies. There is a wide disparity in performance, especially in ride-through performance and recovery after power interruption. This white paper presents data from numerous ride-through tests of standalone internal server power supplies. It also explains the importance of this data and makes recommendations for gathering data and for addressing the impact of the data on the Free Power Quality initiatives.