Aruba has recently reactivated a hydroelectric power plant in Melegnano, near Milan, marking a significant step toward greener energy solutions. Giancarlo Giacomello, Head of Data Centre Offering at Aruba, discusses the benefits of hydropower and how it can influence sustainable site selection and eco-friendly operations.
Data centres are highly energy-intensive facilities. Containing huge computing power, which needs to be constantly in operation, and highly sophisticated systems with multiple redundancies, they account for almost 2% of global electricity use.
According to the International Energy Agency, data centres consumed 460TWh of energy globally in 2022. And they are only becoming more energy-hungry. According to the same IEC report, in a worst-case scenario, global data centre energy usage will have doubled by 2026 to more than 1,000TWh by 2026.
The recent rise of power-intensive workloads like AI and GPU-intensive applications has skyrocketed energy demand. Therefore, aiming to maximise energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions through sustainable practices is more essential than ever.
Data centre operators face the growing challenge of balancing sustainability efforts with maintaining operational reliability. For example, measures such as the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) require operators to adopt an ‘energy efficiency first’ mindset, meaning sustainability efforts will come under more scrutiny.
So, how can operators maintain the balance?
Hydropower: A clean power source for data centres
Ideally, operators should aim to produce more clean energy than they consume, as also required by new sustainability standards like the Code of Conduct and the EED itself.
However, as any operator knows, renewable energy sources – like solar, wind and hydro – can be intermittent in their availability which presents a challenge for data centres. This unreliability can create a gap between customers’ need for continuity and guaranteed stability of service and the necessity to increase the use of renewables.
One solution to this would be the use of nuclear power. However, the generation of this form of energy is still publicly debated. It also requires timing, investment and political support which can’t keep up with the rate at which the data centre industry is growing due to increased demand.
In this context, hydropower is likely the best alternative, offering a clean and reliable power source by harnessing the energy of flowing water. Unlike carbon-intensive fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, hydropower generates electricity without producing direct emissions. This makes it an excellent tool for mitigating the environmental impact of energy-intensive data centres.
Investing in new hydropower plants (or renovating existing ones) could be key to increasing the amount of green energy produced and rendered available on the grid, providing data centres with sufficient energy to ensure compliance with new sustainability requirements.
Building sustainability into data centre design
Using renewable energy sources is one way data centres can reduce their carbon footprint. However, ensuring this is part of a more comprehensive ‘green’ data centre design, by keeping energy efficiency at the forefront of the site choice and design process, is vital. Considerations around location, construction materials and systems in place must be carefully made to ensure your data centre consumes energy intelligently.
Take location, for example. Building a data centre on land close to fast-moving water, such as a river, means a data centre has the potential to benefit from hydropower in the future. It’s also important to note that one of the main drivers, if not the main, for deciding on the location of a new data centre or campus is the availability of grid power, especially as the average size of facilities has noticeably increased in recent years.
Not all operators can find suitable land that has immediate access to sufficient grid energy and the option to rely on natural resources, such as flowing water, or underground reservoirs, which can be used to maximise the efficiency of the cooling systems.
We’re also seeing promising moves in other areas of data centre design to reduce the overall environmental impact of a data centre. In recent years, more and more data centre operators have moved from using cooling towers to mechanical cooling systems, which can help reduce water consumption. The on-going technological and generational change towards the use of liquid cooling solutions will be another step towards increasing the servers’ density while being able to manage the heat they produce.
Choosing technology partners that share similar sustainability approaches and goals is also important. This includes ensuring partners use state-of-the-art technology in their facilities in line with European sustainability goals to ensure the data centre is part of a technological ecosystem moving towards total sustainability.
Unifying efforts toward sustainability
But how can we ensure industry-wide change?
One data centre operator using renewable energy sources and adopting more sustainable practices is not enough. The industry must ensure that all operators are open to adopting new green practices and building new sites with sustainability at the forefront.
The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact has been a crucial step towards this. The pact is a self-regulatory initiative agreed upon by the leading European providers to guide the transition towards a climate-neutral data centre industry proactively.
More than 100 companies and national trade associations are signatories, setting ambitious and measurable targets to make European data centres climate-neutral by 2030. The pact has set a clear target regarding clean energy with the aim that the signatories’ data centres’ electricity demand will be matched by 75% of renewable energy or hourly carbon-free energy by the end of 2025 and 100% by 2030.
Other examples include the European Green Digital Coalition, which aims to invest in the development of sustainable and efficient digital services and tools to measure technologies’ environmental impact. The EC also established the Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency to encourage data centre operators to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively without compromising business continuity.
Collaboration at an international level is crucial for setting standards and meaningful targets for data centre operators looking to create a more sustainable ecosystem. These collaborative efforts are an impressive sign that the industry is acting and is open to adopting sustainable practices.
The future of data centres
The future of data centres hinges on sustainable energy sources, with hydropower emerging as a promising frontrunner. For those in the right geography, there is great potential for widespread adoption, given its clean and reliable nature. Beyond hydropower, solar, wind and geothermal energy can also be integrated into data centre operations to offset carbon emissions.
Continued innovation in energy storage, cooling technologies and data centre design is essential to maximise the efficiency and sustainability of these facilities. As research and development progress, we can envision a future where data centres rely more on renewable energy, minimising environmental impact and contributing to a greener planet.
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