Understanding the concept of green data centres
Data centres are essential infrastructures for the functioning of the Internet and information technologies. They host servers, storage devices and network equipment and ensure the continuity of online services. However, their high energy consumption and significant carbon footprint have led to a growing awareness of the environmental impact associated with these infrastructures. It is in this context that the concept of green data centres is emerging, aimed at reconciling technological performance with environmental responsibility. This article explores how green data centres manage to combine these two objectives, which are often seen as opposites.
Definition: what is a green data centre?
A Green Data centre stands out for its commitment to minimising its environmental impact. To achieve this, it incorporates key elements into its design to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and the use of natural resources. It also favours the use of sustainable materials for its construction.
The aim is to build and operate data centres capable of meeting the growing demand for digital services, while respecting the principles of sustainable development.
What are the environmental impacts of a data centre? Why the interest?
Interest in the environmental impact of data centres is driven by a combination of environmental, economic, societal and technological concerns. Reducing the environmental footprint of these facilities is crucial to building a more sustainable future and meeting the global challenges of climate change.
The main environmental impacts of data centres include:
- High energy consumption : Data centres consume a considerable amount of energy, in particular to power servers, storage and air conditioning. They account for around 1% of global electricity consumption and 0.5% of CO2 emissions, a trend that is rising as demand for digital services increases (cloud computing, streaming, big data, etc.).
- Greenhouse gas emissions : data centres use fossil fuels to power their infrastructure, generating substantial quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2). These CO2 emissions contribute to global warming, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as storms, heat waves and droughts.
- The use of natural resources : The construction and operation of data centres require significant natural resources. The manufacture of servers, hard drives and other IT equipment involves the extraction of rare metals and plastic materials. In addition, to maintain safe operating temperatures and cool servers, data centres use considerable quantities of water. In California, for example, the water consumption of a data centre can be equivalent to that of three hospitals.
- The production of electronic waste : Data centres produce electronic waste, particularly from servers, hard drives and other obsolete components. Electronic waste often contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury and brominated flame retardants.
Strategies for reducing the energy impact of data centres
Various strategies can be implemented to reduce the energy impact of data centres and make them more environmentally friendly, while maintaining optimum performance.
1. Sustainable infrastructure design
Sustainable infrastructure design can have a major impact on energy efficiency. This approach integrates sustainability principles into all phases of a facility’s life cycle, from planning and construction to operation and demolition.
- Green design and space optimisation: incorporating sustainability principles into building design, such as orientation to maximise natural light and the use of energy-efficient materials, helps to reduce energy needs. In addition, maximising the use of available space reduces the need for new buildings.
- Modularity: designing modular data centres allows for gradual expansion in order to optimise the use of resources and minimise the waste associated with construction.
2. Optimising energy efficiency
Optimising energy efficiency in data centres can be achieved through :
- Server virtualisation: this enables several virtual machines to be grouped together on a single physical server, reducing the total number of servers required and optimising the use of resources.
- Infrastructure consolidation: by centralising applications and data on more powerful and efficient platforms, data centres can reduce the number of physical servers required, thereby cutting overall energy consumption.
- Optimisation of storage systems (use of SSD disks rather than traditional hard drives)
- Adoption of high-efficiency equipment: minimising losses helps to reduce energy consumption, improve operational efficiency, reduce heat generation and reduce the overall carbon footprint.
3. Adoption of advanced cooling systems
Server cooling accounts for a significant proportion of data centre power consumption. Strategies for improving the efficiency of cooling systems include:
- Free cooling which involves using outside air, weather permitting, to cool equipment instead of traditional air-conditioning systems.
- Liquid cooling which involves immersing servers in specialised liquids that dissipate heat.
- Containment of hot and cold aisles: Separating hot and cold aisles in data centres helps optimise airflow and reduces the need for additional cooling.
4. Integration of renewable energies
Data centres can adopt various strategies to integrate renewable energies into their operations in order to limit their reliance on fossil fuels.
- Solar and wind power: the installation of solar panels and wind turbines on roofs or in facilities enables part of the electricity required to be produced directly on site.
- The use of Green Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) : these contracts guarantee a supply of electricity exclusively from renewable sources, such as hydroelectricity.
By diversifying their energy sources, data centres can not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also improve their resilience to fluctuations in energy supply.
5. Improvement in energy management practices
To improve the energy efficiency of data centres, smart energy management is key. This involves continuously monitoring and analysing the data centre’s energy consumption in order to identify and quickly correct any irregularities. Several practices can be put in place.
- Energy management systems (EMS) : implementing EMS to monitor and control energy consumption in real time makes it possible to identify inefficiencies and implement corrective measures.
- Energy data monitoring, analysis and optimisation: energy data analysis tools help to understand consumption patterns and identify opportunities for improvement, helping to facilitate energy management. In addition, incorporating energy performance indicators such as PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) is crucial for assessing and improving energy efficiency.
- Preventive maintenance: ensuring that equipment is regularly maintained and kept up to date helps to ensure optimum performance and avoid over-consumption of energy (how do you optimize data centre maintenance).
What are the advantages for operators of environmentally responsible data centres?
Regulatory compliance
Governments, investors, customers and the general public are putting increasing pressure on companies to adopt more sustainable practices. As essential components of digital infrastructure, data centres are under scrutiny to minimise their environmental impact.
Environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, forcing companies to reduce their carbon footprint and adopt greener practices.
A number of well-established certifications can be used to measure and attest to the ecological commitment of data centres.
Among them, LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is particularly well respected around the world. It assesses various aspects such as the design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings.
ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, are also important international standards. The first concerns environmental management, while the second focuses on energy management. Other certifications such as Energy Star and BREEAM provide rigorous assessments of the energy efficiency and sustainability of infrastructure.
Finally, the recently revised, European Union Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) introduces important obligations for data centres. The new requirements require data centres over 500 kW to report key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to their energy efficiency, water use and energy reuse. These reports have been mandatory since May 2024, and are consolidated in a European database, with aggregated data available to the public.
Energy efficiency and cost optimisation
Improving the energy efficiency of data centres can lead to substantial savings in operational costs.
The use of renewable energy, while sometimes more expensive in the short term, can reduce costs in the long term by stabilising energy prices and avoiding the costs associated with carbon emission regulations.
Reputation and competitiveness
Green data centres have a significant impact on customer relations.
Companies that invest in environmentally responsible data centres strengthen their reputation as players committed to fighting climate change. This can attract customers and partners who care about the environment.
Companies that are able to reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining high quality services can stand out from their competitors.
What’s more, green data centres save energy, reducing operational costs. These savings can be passed on to service prices, offering a competitive advantage.
Technological innovation
The need to reduce environmental impact is driving innovation in data centre design and management. This includes the development of new cooling, energy storage and process optimisation technologies, which can have benefits beyond just the data centre sector.
The Green Mountain data centre in Rennesøy, Norway, is a model of sustainability. Housed in a former NATO ammunition depot, it uses mainly hydroelectric power, giving it a virtually zero carbon footprint.
The centre also stands out for its major environmental innovations. For example, it uses free cooling, a natural cooling technique using outside air, which significantly reduces energy consumption.
Green Mountain has also introduced heat reuse projects. The excess heat produced by the servers is recovered to heat local facilities, such as a nearby aquaculture farm.
Safety measures are also exemplary. Biometric access, video surveillance and advanced fire protection systems are in place to protect data. All these initiatives make Green Mountain a leader in green data centres.
Our solutions for combining performance and environmental responsibility in your data centres.
Socomec is committed to helping data centres become greener, by providing a range of solutions such as:
- The DIRIS Digiware power monitoring system: The DIRIS Digiware multi-circuit monitoring system offers Class 0.5 accuracy and incorporates exclusive technologies to identify inefficiencies and reduce operating costs. This scalable system can monitor energy consumption, power quality and residual currents, whatever the distribution method, whether PDU or busway.
- High-efficiency UPS: Any energy loss counts. By opting for UPSs with optimised efficiencies, energy losses are considerably reduced. Smart conversion mode, available on MODULYS modular UPS and DELPHYS XL high-power UPS reduces losses by a factor of five, achieving 99.1% efficiency without any risk to the quality of the power supply.
- The most advanced range of modular UPS on the market: the MODULYS range of modular UPS provides more robust infrastructure, capable of adapting to future requirements while reducing environmental impact and operating costs.
- Energy storage systems: Energy storage systems, such as SUNSYS HES L, facilitate the integration of renewable energies by storing excess energy for later use. In the event of a power cut, these storage systems also reduce the need for diesel generators, thereby cutting carbon emissions and reducing fuel costs.
