How Track Busway Can Help Data Center Operators Improve Sustainability and Efficiency
With continued development of cutting-edge technology powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), transformation of data center infrastructure to accommodate high power requirements is still evolving. But when it comes to data center sustainability, the long-standing principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle remain a gold standard. Starline Track Busway is engineered with these principles in mind to ensure facilities are optimized for efficiency and sustainability at the power distribution level.
Minimize Material Waste, Maximize Usage
Traditional power distribution systems use miles of conduit and wiring, leading to significant material waste during construction and upgrades. With more than 1,000 hyperscale data centers in the world and many more midsize facilities, this waste contributes to landfill overflow and resource depletion.
Additionally, many power systems aren’t designed for reuse, resulting in components being discarded during upgrades. This contributes to the large amount of electronic waste generated each year, which reached a record 137 million pounds in 2022 and is projected to rise by about a third to 181 million pounds in 2030.
As data centers scale, upgrades to traditional power systems often involve carbon-intensive labor, materials, and processes. Retrofitting existing facilities can increase carbon footprints significantly.
Meanwhile, Starline Track Busway’s overhead, modular design requires less material, which can save thousands of pounds of copper and plastic in a single facility, significantly reducing construction waste. At a larger scale, waste reductions begin to add up quickly.
Track busways are often constructed from recyclable materials, such as aluminum and copper, reducing Scope 3 emissions associated with their manufacturing. Sections and plug-in units can be reconfigured and reused when the data center layout changes, reducing the need for the disposal or replacement of materials.
These same elements make busway extremely scalable, supporting sustainability through longer lifecycle use of existing systems, as opposed to purchasing and installing new power conduit. And, once installed, systems are virtually maintenance-free, eliminating the need for special visits from technicians. Cutting down on trips and labor supports sustainability overall.
Avoiding Energy Loss
Worldwide, data centers consumed 460 TWh of electricity in 2022, and this could climb to more than 1,000 TWh by 2026 – all largely driven by AI and other high-compute applications. Much of the electricity wasted in data centers is due to inefficient infrastructure, such as stranded capacity or poor airflow management caused by inefficient cooling. At scale, even small losses in electrical distribution can translate to millions of kilowatt-hours wasted per site.
Busways are innately more efficient at distributing power because of the reduced voltage drop when compared to standard cable distribution. Busway has better resistance than cables, especially in short-circuit testing. Their design minimizes the distance between each conductor, providing a compact footprint while still delivering required power. Busway conductors are comprised of copper and/or aluminum, which aids in optimal distribution of current density and decreases resistance. As a result, busway’s voltage loss is significantly lower than it would be for cable.
Beyond reducing voltage loss, busway systems drive lower harmonic distortion, mitigating temperature increases and resulting in further efficiencies. Load balancing enabled by busway also improves efficiency. Track busways offer better load distribution across server racks, which leads to improved power usage effectiveness (PUE). Efficient load balancing also minimizes energy waste and enhances overall system reliability.
A Practical and Innovative Solution
Track busway systems offer a practical and innovative solution to two critical challenges facing data centers today: operational efficiency and sustainability. With their modular design, scalability, and ability to reduce energy loss and material waste, track busways are the ideal solution to optimize data center operations.
To learn more about how Starline Track Busway is designed to help data centers achieve maximum efficiency and sustainability, download our case study, Legrand’s Sustainable Product Design Principles and Culture: Practical Solutions to Engineering a Sustainable Data Center and Maximizing the Value of Existing Technology.