Electricity comes in two forms—alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Although some say alternating current is better due to its price and accessibility, while others state that the Direct Current is much safer and efficient method to use.
We know that AC is shown as a wave and DC is shown as a straight line. AC is "changing directions" and DC has a "steady flow" of electrons in one direction may be a little difficult for a layman or a beginner with electronics or electricals to understand.
In simple words AC has frequency, that is it is switching on and off. Imagine a power supply of 220V and 50Hz. Voltage is the potential difference and frequency are the no. of oscillations per second. This means the potential difference is 220v and the supply is switching on and off 50 times very second.
The benefit to AC is that it can send high voltages long distances with less loss than DC. This is why we use AC to send power. Another big benefit is you can step down AC voltage without losing power very easily using a transformer, in DC you can use a circuit called a voltage divider, but for every volt stepped down you lose an equivalent amount of power through the circuit.
So which one is the best to use in your data center you ask? Well there are no conclusive answer as to which one to use in any situation, they both have its specific uses. In fact, migrating away from your AC is impractical and difficult because your establishment is probably wired to receive it already. It is more convenient to use AC directly from the power grid for your IT equipment needs. Most Data Centers use AC, and then convert it to DC to power their batteries so that they can change it back to AC whenever they need to power their machines.
Exagate power management devices grant all your AC or DC power needs to your data center equipment or remote sites all while supply your energy monitoring needs.
