Two things I greatly enjoy about working in and around Data Centers are that so many different technologies converge within them and that those technologies are constantly evolving. There’s always something new to explore.
It’s no surprise then that Data Center Deconstructed ping-ponged among several topics in 2012, from choosing a site to relocating servers to incorporating alternative energy, and more. I even tried my hand at blogging in real-time, posting live from the annual Technology Convergence Conference.
Here’s are the Data Center Deconstructed topics that received the most attention this year. Check out any you’ve missed: Read More »
When I was a kid, one of my neighbors had a solar radiometer. It’s a glass bulb about the size of a baseball, with diamond-shaped panels connected to a spindle. The panels, black on one side and silver on the other, would turn on the spindle when exposed to light.
I enjoyed experimenting with the gizmo, edging it in and out of the sunbeam that shone through a window and onto their kitchen table. How close to the light did the radiometer need to be for the panels to move? What if I shaded it with a piece of cardboard? How fast would the spindle turn if I put the radiometer fully in the light? Read More »
I love it when a small discovery causes me think about the big picture.
I’ve been researching water-related factoids for this week’s Data Center Deconstructed video on hydropower. Along the way, I uncovered this tidbit from the U.S. Geological Survey: Read More »
When I worked as a newspaper reporter, there was one type of story my fellow writers and I always dreaded.
Weather stories. I’m not talking about covering a major event like a tornado threatening the region or about investigating the impact of a drought on the local agriculture industry. Those are compelling stories and we were glad to do them. Read More »
I have been involved in a lot of Data Center projects over the years and during the design discussions someone almost invariably observes: “it’s not rocket science. We’re just building a Data Center.”
It turns out there is rocket science in some Data Centers after all.
A handful of server environments now incorporate hydrogen fuel cells, the same technology that helped U.S. spacecraft reach the moon as part of the Gemini and Apollo space missions in the 1960s and are still used in space shuttles today. Data Center industry publications have in recent years reported fuel cells helping power server environments belonging to the First National Bank of Omaha, Fujitsu and Verizon.
Hydrogen fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity and produce heat and water as byproducts. They typically run on natural gas, which although not a renewable energy does emits less carbon, sulfur and nitrogen than other sources. Probably the best known fuel cell on the market is Bloom Energy’s “Bloom Box” that was profiled by 60 Minutes in 2010.
So, are we at Cisco using fuel cells in Data Centers? Watch below to see why or why not.
