Sustainable data centre: meeting net zero carbon
As our demand for data continues to听increase,听the data centre industry听is听expanding听at a staggering rate. These centres are the backbone to听much of our听economic, commercial听and social lives.听They are also听some of the world鈥檚 biggest consumers of power.听听
听
As countries around the world听pledge their commitment to carbon neutrality, or net zero carbon, environmental regulations are fast听evolving; and simultaneously, ESG is pushing up the corporate agenda.听The sector is responding, with many global cloud and data centre operators, as well as smaller national providers, committed to听becoming听.
The challenge: data centres are energy and resource intensive
It鈥檚 no secret that data centres are energy intensive. Various estimates have placed data centres听as accounting for听2% of the world鈥檚 energy consumption 鈥斕�roughly听equivalent to听the听aviation industry. And while big strides have been made, designing, developing and operating听sustainable听data centres remains one of the biggest challenges facing听developers, co-location operators, global cloud computing providers and听hyperscalers听alike.
What is a net zero carbon data centre?
The听听requires the following:听
Increase and measure energy听efficiency听
Data centres and server rooms must meet a high standard for energy efficiency, demonstrated through aggressive power use effectiveness (PUE) targets.听For听European听operators听committed to听the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact this has been specified as an annual PUE target of 1.3 for听new data centres operating at full capacity in cool climates by 2025, and 1.4 in warm climates.听Existing data centres will achieve these same targets by January 1, 2030.听
Clean energy听
Carbon neutral data centres should be powered by 100% renewable energy.听The states that under the Self-Regulatory Initiative data centre electricity demand will be matched by 75% renewable energy or hourly carbon-free energy by December 31, 2025 and 100% by December 31, 2030.听
Water efficiency听
Data centres rely on vast amounts of water听for computer cooling. But听for听a data centre听to be sustainable it听must reduce this to minimum levels by targeting ambitious water conservation targets.听The water metric target听- water usage effectiveness (WUE) or other water conservation metric -听may vary depending on the data centre design specification.听
A circular economy听听
Data centre operators must听apply听circular economy听practices听to repair and recycle servers, as well as reusing waste heat where possible.听
Circular energy system听
The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact highlights the energy conservation opportunity presented for the reuse of data centre heat. Data centre operators听can听in a way that is practical,听environmentally sound and cost effective.听
How to achieve a sustainable data centre
The transition to a net zero carbon industry requires a shift in the way data infrastructure is planned, designed and built.听听
Our Net Zero Carbon design approach sets out a project pathway to embed best practice sustainable design principles into听each project stage.听Tackling the building design, materials, engineering solutions, construction and听operation, we can guide you to deliver a truly whole life net zero project;听or听more simply to听embed sustainable principles and technology to听achieve energy and resource efficiencies in line with your commercial objectives.听
How can we help?
Working in partnership, we can support you right from project inception; from clarifying regulations, defining targets and steering you through the planning process, to identifying and mitigating environmental impacts such as air quality, addressing biodiversity net gain, through to cost effective and pragmatic advice for design and operation.
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