The prevalence of mobile communication continues to accelerate. The trend has been obvious for years, but challenges remain. According to a new report from Vertiv, “substantial investments are still needed to cope with increasing traffic and new services” and the power they will consume.
Download the full report.
This includes infrastructure like edge sites, more telecom equipment and more dispersed network infrastructure, Vertiv points out. And, of course, all of this equipment needs energy. The explosion in global mobile data traffic will have a significant environmental impact.
According to the report, Vertiv shares greenhouse gas emissions indirectly caused by smartphones are expected to reach 125 megatons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2020.
The report asserts the trend of just adding more power sources to process and store this data that ultimately generate more carbon dioxide “can’t be sustained indefinitely.”
As a result, system providers are trying to cut energy usage in every part of a network, including the power systems and backup systems to ensure network reliability.
“For nearly a decade, rectifiers with 96-97% efficiency have been available, helping to reduce the carbon footprint at many operator sites,” the report states.
But as more and more industries turn their focus to increasing efficiency and cutting down on energy consumption, what Vertiv calls a “major milestone in rectifier efficiency” has been reached — 98% efficient rectifiers with a flat efficiency curve.
“New equipment normally is more energy efficient, but that doesn’t offset the growth in traffic. Total power consumption still increases with the increase in mobile data traffic.” — Vertiv
According to the report, these can work to optimize energy consumption at every load condition. What’s pushed this evolution in efficiency along? Advancements and components such as gallium nitride (GaN) have helped enable ultra-high 98% efficiency and improved power densities.
The new Vertiv report outlines this evolution to 98% efficiency for rectifiers through the following sections:
- History
- The Technology Behind 98% Efficient Rectifiers
- Peak Efficiency Vs. Practical Efficiency
- ECO Mode – Maximizing Energy
- Efficiency While Minimizing Investment
- Upgrading to 98% Rectifiers Makes Sense
- Simplified Upgrade of Existing Sites
- Tracking the Energy Savings
There are a variety of factors driving demand for bringing computing resources closer to the end user. These include mobile computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the sunrise of 5G networks and more.
“That means more sites, drawing more power, with no signs of this trend slowing anytime soon,” Vertiv points out.
Bottom line: In today’s environment, and in most every industry, any opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption is important.
Vertiv’s new report walks readers through a breakthrough in energy efficiency that has the potential to reduce power losses over a wide load range, working to optimize CAPEX and OPEX.
Download the new report, “Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Energy Bills with 98% Efficient Rectifiers: A White Paper on DC Power Efficiency,” courtesy of Vertiv, to explore further the next generation of rectifiers.