Sustainability and data centers: a possible combination?
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 10:47 am
Sustainability and data centers represent, today, a possible combination because they are part of a rapidly expanding philosophy that tends to maximize the use of resources, trying to minimize the impact on the environment. Many people use the word sustainability to describe what is green, ecological, even if not everything that is included in this sphere is actually achieving this goal.
Data centers are an example of how efficient sustainable developments can be. It is noteworthy that such storage of huge amounts of data on behalf of organizations and governments have their roots, in terms of energy savings, in geothermal plants.
Industry experts have studied these structures for years and have discovered several ways to make them more efficient. Some of the most common ways to reduce energy costs are:
water cooling systems;
the replacement of old equipment with more advanced models;
insulating building materials.
Table of Contents:
Water cooling
Data center and district heating
Data Center Sustainability Practices
The end of the data center lifecycle
Microsoft and underwater data centers
Water cooling
In the sustainable management of a data center, servers are cooled with water, but its use should be reduced to the minimum possible to avoid wasting such an important resource for humanity. Furthermore, the air conditioning used to maintain the temperature of the rooms and hardware at certain levels should only be used during the summer months due to the high temperatures.
There are also companies that, in order to minimize water consumption during the construction of data centers, use less concrete and steel in construction materials. In this sense, many experts agree that more sustainable data centers are a boon to organizations' pockets, as well as to the environment.
However, the situation is not yet perfect: there is still a lot of work to be done in this field.
Data center and district heating
Many people think of data centers as inhospitable places that require air conditioning to be livable and comfortable. However, these centers operate efficiently even without air conditioning. They do this by using heat, or cooling, from so-called district heating systems , which use low-cost, low-carbon energy sources.
These sources represent an interesting system, as they provide stable temperatures in data centers throughout the year, minimizing the use of systems. In fact, the low temperatures produced by these systems are ideal for avoiding the overheating of sensitive equipment, without the use of air conditioning.
This system creates a “stable” environment, which laos telegram phone number list have little need for the use of air conditioners for cooling, resulting in, among other things, low CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions compared to other energy sources.
Data Center Sustainability Practices
Data centers, as you might imagine, consume a significant amount of energy. These facilities are also prone to critical issues that can damage equipment, resulting in extended downtime for organizations.
To create low-emission data centers, experts agree on suggesting some measures that we present below.
In addition to air cooling, use transformers with high-efficiency power and cooling infrastructure, such as transformerless UPS or full immersion cooling.
Invest in sustainable hardware, such as servers, storage, appliances, UPS systems, and cooling systems.
Providing energy on site using fuel cells.
Switch to clean, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
One of the main concerns when building a data center is precisely energy consumption: in fact, many recent projects focus on reducing energy consumption, using more efficient cooling systems and reducing humidity levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has designated the state of Georgia as a Green Data Center Zone to Emulate , due to its abundant use of energy sources that have zero impact on the environment.
Data centers are an example of how efficient sustainable developments can be. It is noteworthy that such storage of huge amounts of data on behalf of organizations and governments have their roots, in terms of energy savings, in geothermal plants.
Industry experts have studied these structures for years and have discovered several ways to make them more efficient. Some of the most common ways to reduce energy costs are:
water cooling systems;
the replacement of old equipment with more advanced models;
insulating building materials.
Table of Contents:
Water cooling
Data center and district heating
Data Center Sustainability Practices
The end of the data center lifecycle
Microsoft and underwater data centers
Water cooling
In the sustainable management of a data center, servers are cooled with water, but its use should be reduced to the minimum possible to avoid wasting such an important resource for humanity. Furthermore, the air conditioning used to maintain the temperature of the rooms and hardware at certain levels should only be used during the summer months due to the high temperatures.
There are also companies that, in order to minimize water consumption during the construction of data centers, use less concrete and steel in construction materials. In this sense, many experts agree that more sustainable data centers are a boon to organizations' pockets, as well as to the environment.
However, the situation is not yet perfect: there is still a lot of work to be done in this field.
Data center and district heating
Many people think of data centers as inhospitable places that require air conditioning to be livable and comfortable. However, these centers operate efficiently even without air conditioning. They do this by using heat, or cooling, from so-called district heating systems , which use low-cost, low-carbon energy sources.
These sources represent an interesting system, as they provide stable temperatures in data centers throughout the year, minimizing the use of systems. In fact, the low temperatures produced by these systems are ideal for avoiding the overheating of sensitive equipment, without the use of air conditioning.
This system creates a “stable” environment, which laos telegram phone number list have little need for the use of air conditioners for cooling, resulting in, among other things, low CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions compared to other energy sources.
Data Center Sustainability Practices
Data centers, as you might imagine, consume a significant amount of energy. These facilities are also prone to critical issues that can damage equipment, resulting in extended downtime for organizations.
To create low-emission data centers, experts agree on suggesting some measures that we present below.
In addition to air cooling, use transformers with high-efficiency power and cooling infrastructure, such as transformerless UPS or full immersion cooling.
Invest in sustainable hardware, such as servers, storage, appliances, UPS systems, and cooling systems.
Providing energy on site using fuel cells.
Switch to clean, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
One of the main concerns when building a data center is precisely energy consumption: in fact, many recent projects focus on reducing energy consumption, using more efficient cooling systems and reducing humidity levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has designated the state of Georgia as a Green Data Center Zone to Emulate , due to its abundant use of energy sources that have zero impact on the environment.