2009 Events:

November 18, 2009: "Implementing Data Center Energy Efficiency" by Jim Hoyt, Harold Wells Associates

Abstract: Electrical power usage has not been a typical design criterion for data centers until recently. This has been true despite the fact that the electrical costs over the life of a data center may exceed the costs of the electrical power system including the UPS and may exceed the costs of the IT equipment. Electricity costs are an increasing fraction of the total cost of ownership (TCO) for data centers. It is possible to dramatically reduce the electrical consumption of typical data centers through appropriate design of the network critical physical infrastructure and through design of the IT architecture. This presentation will start with a discussion some of the drivers for the growth of the data center industry and then proceed to discuss where the energy goes in a typical data center. Then it will discuss some of the technologies and architectures available to implement energy efficient data centers. The presentation will discuss UPS's, aisle architectures, scalability, power distribution design as well as other topics for energy efficiency.

Bio: Jim Hoyt is a principal owner of Harold Wells Associates in San Ramon, California and has been with them since 1981. Harold Wells Associates is a manufacturers' representative firm who is celebrating their 50th anniversary next year. At HWA, Jim has been involved in the design, application and sales of critical electrical products such as UPS systems, automatic transfer switches, paralleling generator switchgear, variable frequency drives and harmonic current mitigation products.

October 21, 2009: "Data Center Power Monitoring & SCADA" by Rick Hofstetter, PowerLogic Business Development Specialist, Schneider Electric

Abstract: There is an explosion of digital content! Record keeping, Video & Graphics, Media, R&D, VOIP, Applications as a Service etc. have made data centers more critical then ever to how we live. With this has come the use of more energy to the point where it is an essential variable in design, location and operating costs for data centers. Please join us for a presentation on how electrical energy is controlled and monitored in data centers and critical facilities from the server rack to the substation. Our presenter will cover metering, monitoring and SCADA configurations for typical data centers as well as introduce the new EPA Energy Star rating for data centers. This rating uses a new metric, EUE which will be defined and its calculation described. In addition, our presenter will discuss the key metering points to comply with the EPA, as well ensure a highly reliable facility. Also there will be an overview of metering capabilities from advanced high end power meters to sub meters (gray space to white space) as well as a brief discussion of cost allocation and rack monitoring.

Bio: Rick Hofstetter has been with Schneider Electric (Square D) for over 21 years, his current assignment being Business Development Specialist for SE's Energy Solutions Business Unit. Rick has had various responsibilities within SE including:

  • Field service engineering, testing and commissioning for support of controls, electrical distribution and switchgear.
  • Application, technical support and sales of metering, SCADA, and enterprise software.
  • Consultant specification engineering.
  • Development of energy management and metering configurations for data centers and other critical facilities.

Rick is a member of IEEE as well as the Critical Facilities Round Table (CFRT). He has presented (IEEE PCIC conference) and had published (IAS Magazine) an article on "Load Preservation for Facilities Using Cogeneration" for IEEE. At SE he has received the "People Who Make a Difference Award" for his work in metering and SCADA applications.

April 15, 2009: "Circuit Breaker Technologies and Arc Flash" by Gary H. Fox, PE, Senior Specification Engineer, GE

Abstract: Arc flash has become a major concern in the industry due to our responsibility as engineers to design electrical systems where people can work as safely as possible in proximity to the equipment. So far, arc flash issues have focused most on making the equipment safer when the covers have to be removed to do various tasks. Now developments in circuit breakers are providing ways of decreasing the potential harmful incident energy that an arc flash can create. This presentation will discuss these new technologies and also discuss technologies that mitigate arc flash while allowing selective operation of protective devices.

Bio: Gary H. Fox, PE, received his BSEE from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1978. Employed by General Electric Company for 30 years, his current assignment is as Senior Specification Engineer for GE. He provides application and technical support for power distribution/control equipment and lighting. Previous experience includes field testing and maintenance of power equipment, project management, and power system analysis. Mr. Fox is a Senior Member of the IEEE Industry Applications and IEEE Power Engineering Societies; officer positions held include Chair for the San Francisco Chapter, IAS; Chair, San Francisco Section; and Chair of San Francisco Bay Area Council. He has authored several papers on protective relay application and surge protection and was a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 1982.