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Mechanical cooling is not necessary here – saving energy
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Eastern Switzerland data centre: Sustainable solution with free and adiabatic cooling from Hoval

Data Center Eastern Switzerland, Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland
Data Center Eastern Switzerland, Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland

RZO AG operates not only the most secure, but also the most energy-efficient data center in the region in Gais. For cooling the sensitive IT infrastructure, the company relies on a solution from Hoval.

  • Data center
  • New Building

In the middle of the Appenzell region, a black, cube-shaped building sets a contrasting accent to the picturesque backdrop of the landscape. On an area of 900 m2, the Eastern Switzerland Data Centre (RZO) offers companies, public institutions and service companies the opportunity to outsource their IT infrastructure to competent hands. With an availability of 99.998%, the RZO complies with the Uptime Institute's Tier 4 classification, which is considered the gold standard in data center availability. Anyone who enters the premises soon gets to know the comprehensive security concept: continuous video surveillance, biometric access monitoring and a personnel gate ensure that the data center resembles a strictly controlled data vault.

RZO AG operates not only the most secure, but also the most energy-efficient data center in the region in Gais.

Protection of sensitive IT components

Storage, servers, network parts: For security reasons, the components required for operation are usually present more than once. During operation, they generate considerable heat – a fact that must be taken into account at an early stage when planning a data centre, as Jan Isenegger, Operations Manager at RZO, emphasises: "Only Hoval has met our requirements to use the principle of free cooling all year round – in other words, to do completely without compressors or refrigerants." The solution in Gais consists of 10 compact units of the ServeCool type from Hoval, which use free and adiabatic cooling to air condition the data centre as required. This is possible by ensuring a constant temperature and humidity level and thus reliably protecting sensitive IT components. "Cooling is also part of the security concept of a data centre," emphasises Stefan Kuch, Segment Manager Data Centres at Hoval. "In the unlikely event that one device fails, the others take over the cooling load." A look inside shows that the separation of the air flows in the highly efficient twin plate heat exchanger protects the sensitive IT infrastructure not only from moisture, but also from dust and dirt. With free cooling, the ServeCool device sucks in the cool outside air. This flows through the two cross-flow plate heat exchangers, cools the supply air flow indirectly and is then blown out into the open again.
Only Hoval has met our requirements to use the principle of free cooling all year round.

Adiabatic cooling using rainwater

Due to its location at almost 1,000 metres above sea level, the outside air temperatures in Gais are cooler all year round – a circumstance that has an extremely positive effect on the energy balance of the data centre. But even on warmer days, resource-saving cooling is possible, because then the ServeCool devices automatically switch on the adiabatic system. For adiabatic cooling, also known as evaporative cooling, the existing rainwater is also used in the outdoor air circuit to further lower the supply air temperature and increase the cooling capacity. The water enters the outside air stream via nozzles, similar to a shower. The rainwater can be stored in a cistern and, due to its low conductivity, is the ideal medium for adiabatic cooling.

Minimum space requirement, maximum flexibility

The space in a data center is precious and needs to be used well – another argument in favor of the ServeCool compact devices with only 14 m² of floor space. In addition, ServeCool has a modular design, as Stefan Kuch points out: "The performance of the system can be expanded at any time by flexibly stringing together several devices. This means flexibility for the future when the required cooling capacity in the data center increases."

Sustainability at all levels

On the one hand, the data centre uses the waste heat generated during cooling for its own needs in the building, and on the other hand, the neighbouring Gais mountain cheese dairy also benefits from it, as Jan Isenegger explains: "The cheese dairy is connected to us via a local heating network and uses part of our waste heat to pasteurise the milk." Around 1,500,000 kWh can be saved annually through the use of waste heat – this corresponds to around 70,000 m³ of natural gas or 360,000 kg of CO2. But anyone who thinks that well-thought-out cooling and waste heat utilisation are the only accents that the RZO sets in terms of sustainability is mistaken: the photovoltaic panels are already visible from afar when approaching the site, because they are attached to the entire building. "The power usage effectiveness value of 1.15 confirms how energy-efficient we are in operating the data center here in Gais," reports Jan Isenegger proudly.
The use of waste heat can save around 1,500,000 kWh annually – this corresponds to around 70,000 m³ of natural gas or 360,000 kg of CO2.

Convincing control and service

Each of the installed ServeCool devices carries the control system necessary for operation. "Thanks to the graphical user interface – GUI for short – I can keep an eye on the cooling in the data center at all times, even via my web browser. I like the fact that the visualization is simple and intuitive to use," says Jan Isenegger, emphasizing the user-friendliness. And you also feel that you are in good hands with Hoval when it comes to ongoing support. "It turns out that the ServeCool devices are not only energy-efficient, but also low-maintenance and service-friendly, because the components are easily accessible," says Jan Isenegger, and he sums up: "Our solution for free and adiabatic cooling is stable and my contact persons at Hoval are always there for me if I have any questions."

Photo credit: Rechenzentrum Ostschweiz

Products in this Reference

ServeCool SWP

ServeCool SWP

Air conditioning unit for indirect free cooling with fresh air in combination with adiabatic and mechanical cooling, with integrated adiabatic pump