Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has released its Guide to Data Center Sustainability, an online resource for data center owners and operators seeking to reduce the environmental impact of their facilities.
According to a report by the International Energy Agency, data centers account for about 1% of global electricity demand. The report notes that the industry was able to limit the impact of capacity growth on total energy consumption prior to 2020 by improving operating efficiency.
However, in 2020, global internet traffic surged by more than 40%, and Market Intelligence projects a 13% compound annual growth rate in data center construction over the next five years. That trend, combined with increased focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, has led some operators to seek new solutions that increase equipment utilisation and drive out remaining inefficiencies, phase out water-intensive cooling technologies, and decrease their dependence on carbon-based energy sources.
“We’re seeing a sense of urgency by operators across the industry to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment, and this new resource is designed to help them do just that,” says TJ Faze, Head of ESG Strategy & Engagement at Vertiv.
“The focus on operational efficiency has enabled significant improvements, but now new strategies and more intelligent systems are required to drive down emissions and water use as the industry continues to grow.
"As a provider of infrastructure solutions to enterprises, colocation and cloud providers, Vertiv is well-positioned to share best practices and new developments across these sectors.”
According to Vertic, the industry movement has been led by large hyperscale operators who have set goals to become carbon neutral or carbon negative by the end of this decade. It says these operators are taking the lead in advancing technologies that support these goals and developing a roadmap for the rest of the industry.
Many colocation providers are also moving to carbon-neutral and water-efficient operations to capitalise on market demand for data center services that support their enterprise customers’ environmental goals. Vertiv says enterprises must also address the impact of their on-premises data centers to support those goals.
"Over the last ten years, we have seen how data center operators have worked to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment" adds Jessica Garca, Director of Human Resources for Latin America at Vertiv.
"However, as the industry continues to grow, the need to design new strategies and implement smarter systems and technologies to reduce resource consumption has increased,” she says.
“The new Guide to Data Center Sustainability was created to support data center owners and operators willing to make their operations more efficient, with better practices and new developments for this purpose.”