The Hot Topic: Data Centre Sustainability

Data centres are vital infrastructure which serve companies and government agencies – but together they use up more energy than the collective households of an entire medium-sized European country! Data centres are embedded in our lives, and their growth presents us with both an environmental and an economic challenge: how can we make these facilities more sustainable without sacrificing their function? Well, the only way is collectively.

Is date centre sustainability in question?

Data centres, though invisible to most people day-to-day, have become increasingly necessary as they handle more and more of our digital lives. However, their growth is in danger of becoming unsustainable due to several factors; most notably in their reluctance to adopt renewable energy sources. This is because of larger structural constraints and challenges; many data centres rely on fossil fuel for power, with all the environmental risk it poses, because it is available and still affordable. Nuclear power is used too: it has risks of its own but is ‘clean’, affordable and often the only viable option. Additionally, data centre operations are often criticised for taking up far too much space or challenged on the unsuitability of their location. The industry is also under constant scrutiny for its water usage, another precious resource.

How can we make them sustainable?

There are actions that our partners in the data centre industry are taking already, such as investment in upgrading equipment like cooling systems, the strategic use of insulation, low-energy lighting and equipment and choosing recyclable and sustainable materials when building new data centres. As well as ongoing investments, great efforts are being made to ensure that the manufacture of equipment is done so in optimally sustainable ways. Partnerships with environmentally sound businesses whose products and services reflect this ethos. A ‘greener’ supply chain is crucial, and it is a commitment that clients now expect; the company that pays attention to the sustainability of its own supply chain is undoubtedly a preferred company to work with. Technivo is one such company. Our ‘green’ goals exist in part to assist clients towards their own. 

Is there a way to use energy more efficiently?

The industry has adopted several construction and design solutions to improve efficiency, from better locations and superior building materials, to details such as the positioning of entrances, ventilation and heating/cooling systems and the quality of flooring and cabinets that will save money and improve energy efficiency in the long run. There is also a new generation of solutions and state-of-the-art, ‘intelligent’ monitoring equipment, a lot of which employs AI, which will become more commonplace, which will intuit and respond more efficiently to the working environment. It is accepted that this ‘next generation’ AI equipment will yield far better value and ensure asset longevity. As a technical cleaning company, Technivo are very much in tune with developments in specialist kit that helps us deliver a ‘greener’, more precise cleaning service of an exceptionally high standard.  

Where will our electricity come from in the future?

Renewable energy has been experiencing massive growth in recent years. Electricity generated via renewable sources in 2021 expanded by approximately 8%, with solar and wind providing two thirds of it. Companies such as Microsoft are either actively looking for locations close to renewable energy sources, or for locations where wind farms and solar farms can be constructed. Other companies are building near sources of hydro-electric power. Even old oil wells have been repurposed to take advantage of geothermal energy, a novel and exciting development. There is also a number of developments in nuclear power, the environmental impact of which is minimal compared to that of further use of fossil fuel. 

How can governments help?

The EU and UK have decided to take a data centre-specific approach to energy infrastructure. Since 2011, large electricity users (ie those running a data centre) have been required to register with their governments, who will then help them develop long-term sustainability plans. This policy firstly helps ensure transparency, and secondly makes it clear that sustainable data centres have to be facilitated, as they now form a key part of modern-day infrastructure and are vital to all aspects of life, work and civil society. These kinds of partnerships and approaches are forward-thinking and exactly what the data centre industry needs to thrive.