IBM Green Solution Center

Cellwatch Battery Monitoring System Featured in IBM Green Solutions Center

Situation

IBM has long been committed to energy efficiency and to protecting the environment. From issuing annual environmental reports for nearly 20 years, disclosing greenhouse gas emissions, and to more recently committing $1 billion each year to develop technologies and services that will help clients utilize more energy efficient innovations – IBM is leading the way in the New Enterprise Data Center design. In addition to its ongoing efforts, IBM was seeking new venues to showcase the latest IT and infrastructure solutions.

Solution

At its Systems & Technology Group Executive Briefing Center in RTP, North Carolina, IBM, along with key business partners, created a state-of-the-art Green Solutions Center to educate clients on energy efficient and environmentally friendly data center solutions. The Green Solutions Center employs high efficiency servers, storage and energy management systems, automated room controls, interactive displays and touch panels, along with green interior components.

Results

Since the completion of the Green Solutions Center in the second quarter of 2008, hundreds of IBM and partner clients have participated in briefings and taken tours to experience first-hand the environmentally friendly and advanced data center and infrastructure technologies that are available.

Among the featured solutions is a Cellwatch battery monitoring system. Cellwatch is used to demonstrate how facility and IT managers can avoid needlessly replacing batteries in their UPS systems. The Cellwatch system optimizes power performance by alerting users to replace weak batteries only, lessening the environmental impact and ultimately resulting in lower maintenance costs.

Comments

“Most facility managers think of a battery monitoring system as a way to improve the reliability of their UPS by ensuring that standby batteries are available and at full strength when needed. We demonstrate how a battery monitoring system can also be a green solution.

“Most UPS batteries have a life expectancy of five to ten years. However, it is standard practice to replace the batteries every two or three years simply because after that amount of time one or two cells may become faulty, thereby jeopardizing the entire battery. With the Cellwatch battery monitoring system, we can demonstrate how facility managers can identify and replace individual cells or jars as they begin to fail, and prolong the life expectancy of their batteries. By replacing only failing batteries, you prevent useful batteries from being destroyed. You can help the environment— and save money at the same time.

“At the Green Solutions Center, we know the status of our batteries in real-time all of the time. We want to give clients that same control. We want to support their efforts in transforming their data centers to be more efficient, to be more green. The Cellwatch battery monitoring system is an important way clients can improve sustainability and realize the benefits that come with it.”

– Don Roy, IBM Sr. Consulting Specialist