Lighting in Design Q3 2022

Considerations for lighting data centres Developments in technology have driven significant changes in the number and size of data centres. Increased use of smart phones, social media, and online shopping are examples of behaviours driving these changes, and lighting has had to adapt to ensure data centres are lit

with energy-efficient and sustainable solutions. D ata centres are power hungry spaces, consuming lots of electricity and costing businesses millions to operate each year. Most of the energy usage is driven by servers and the HVAC systems needed to keep them cool, with lighting only representing between 3-5%, which is why it’s often overlooked as an area that can make a significant contribution to lowering energy consumption. However, as in most applications, lighting is the simplest way to achieve improved efficiencies and introducing intelligent and efficient LED lighting solutions to replace traditional light sources can drive up to 65% in energy savings as wel l as signif icantly lowering the heat generated by a facility’s lighting. Installing efficient, durable and reliable lighting solutions is critically important to ensure these information factories always remain operational. Good lighting in plant rooms helps maintenance staff and computer engineers identify and address issues, whilst improved cable management and inspection can be achieved by ensuring efficient lighting in data halls. Data centres have stringent access controls and absolute precision is required when working around tightly spaced server cages and fibre optic cables.

By installing effective LED solutions that deliver the correct light levels needed in different areas, these practical challenges are well handled. However, with controls to optimise efficiency and design to make maintenance as non-disruptive as possible, signif icant savings can be achieved. Intelligent lighting systems can drive even more savings in energy consumption with an outstanding level of performance, offering a sustainable solution. To get a better idea of the lighting requirements of a data centre, a number of questions were put to Chris Gijzelaar from local lighting manufacturer, Regent Lighting Solutions (RLS): Q: Which areas need to be considered when lighting data centres and their surrounds? A: Essentially there are two areas: • Hot aisles: The rows the heated exhausts pour into are called hot aisles. Typically, hot aisles face air conditioner return ducts. A containment system isolates hot aisles and cold aisles from each other and prevents hot and cold air from mixing. • Cold aisles: In the simplest form, the rows which are composed of the rack fronts are called the cold aisles. The rack fronts face

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LiD Q3 - 2022