The guide promotes best practices and new technologies to support the sector towards "zero emissions" activities
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has released the Guide to Data Center Sustainability, a resource available online, aimed at data center managers and operators who aspire to reduce the environmental impact of their facilities.
According to a survey conducted byInternational Energy Agency, data centers account for almost 1% of global electricity demand. The report finds that the sector has managed to limit the impact of capacity growth on total energy consumption through 2020 by improving operational efficiency. However, in 2020 the volume of global internet traffic is grew by over 40%, and according to the forecasts of Market Intelligence New data center designs are expected to see an annual growth rate of 13% over the next five years. This trend, combined with a greater focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, has led some operators to seek new solutions that increase the use of infrastructure and eliminate remaining inefficiencies. The objective is also to progressively reduce cooling technologies that require a high use of water resources and to limit dependence on carbon-based energy sources.
“Considering that we are seeing the need for industry operators to reduce the impact of their activities on the environment, we decided to create this guide to best support them,” said TJ Faze, Head of ESG Strategy & Engagement at Vertiv. "The focus on operational efficiency has enabled significant improvements, but smarter strategies and systems must now be implemented to reduce emissions and water use as the industry continues to develop. As a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and business continuity solutions for enterprises, colocation and cloud providers, Vertiv can share best practices and new tools useful for these industries."
The market shift has been driven by large hyperscalers who have set themselves the goal of becoming carbon neutral or carbon negative by the end of the decade. These operators are taking the lead in advancing the technologies that support these goals and are developing a roadmap for the entire industry. Many colocation providers are also moving towards carbon-neutral and water-efficient operations to capitalize on the increased demand for data center services that support their corporate clients' environmental goals. Enterprises must also address the impact of their on-premise data centers to support these goals.
“In Europe alone, over 25 cloud and data center operators and 17 industry associations have signed an agreement to make their facilities 'zero emissions' using 100% renewable energy sources by 2030,” said Karsten Winther, EMEA President of Vertiv. "This goal will only be achievable if organizations implement new strategies and innovative systems that reduce resource consumption. Our recent Guidance, combined with extensive experience in providing infrastructure solutions, allows us to share best practices and the latest industry innovations to train data center managers and help them reduce the environmental impact of their facilities, not only in Europe, but around the world.
The Guide to Data Center Sustainability by Vertiv provides operators with guidance on:
- The business case for reducing environmental impact
- How data center infrastructure and connected technologies are evolving to support more efficient use of resources and greater use of renewable energy
- Resources, frameworks and metrics for implementing and measuring sustainability initiatives
- Best practices for designing and managing data centers with low environmental impact.
The Guide to Data Center Sustainability is available on Vertiv.com.
