Green computing
The University of Hertfordshire sought to develop its Data Centre at the de Havilland Campus into a Tier-2 environmentally efficient facility.
The University of Hertfordshire, recognised as a sector leader in environmental management, was awarded funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) for a project to incorporate green technologies into the refurbishment of the de Havilland Campus Data Centre in 2008.
This pioneering Reduction And Re-use of Energy in Institutional Data Centres (RARE-IDC) aimed to provide world-class innovation in the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Higher Education.
Reduction And Re-use of Energy in Institutional Data Centres (RARE-IDC)
The multi-award winning RARE-IDC Project built on work already underway throughout Hertfordshire University’s estates to explore the issues of reducing energy usage for cooling data centres and the reuse of heat generated from ICT equipment.
As well as contributing to reducing the cost of ownership of University estates, the RARE-IDC project provided environmental sustainability with innovative green practices for minimising the carbon footprint, which transfers across to all new ICT space.
The project worked within the JISC Institutional Innovation Programme and helped to take forward the national development of the Green Agenda, demonstrating innovation and good practice.
The aims of this project were:
- to develop 21st Century Data Centres with alternative cooling and energy provision to ensure that air flow and heat exchanging is more effective and efficient.
- to develop 21st Century Data Centres with a waste heat management system, reusable within the University’s portfolio of estates and learning spaces.
- to reduce the total cost and amount of power actually required per m2 of data centre space.
- to identify, evaluate and disseminate transferable good practice models in respect of the above.
- to work with the JISC community to share the experiences and approaches to assist other institutions to meet these goals.
Further information
For further information about this project, please contact the University's Data Centre Manager.
