Intelligent Data Centres Issue 42 | Page 30

13 % OF THE OVERALL ELECTRICITY CONSUMED BY THE COMPANY IS FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES , WHICH IS AN INCREASE FROM 2020 ’ S FIGURE OF AROUND 2 %.
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
MATT PULLEN , EVP MANAGING DIRECTOR , EUROPE AT CYRUSONE
ith sustainability continuing to be at the

W forefront of everyone ’ s minds , CyrusOne has continued to make progress and take strides towards a greener future , as we head ever closer towards the pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030 , as outlined in our Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact .

We recently released our third annual 2022 sustainability report which outlines our overall commitment towards using greener operations within our business strategy and the progress made . All of our European sites across London , Dublin , Frankfurt and Amsterdam have already achieved the 2030 carbon reduction commitments eight years in advance , with these facilities powered by sustainable sources and renewable energy . Furthermore , we have achieved 100 % renewable electricity and have managed to counteract the level of diesel used for backup generation .
In our efforts to become carbon neutral , we have also increased the amount of purchased renewable energy and have signed contracts that provide an additional 107 MWh of renewable power for the years to come . A total of 13 % of the overall electricity consumed by the company is from renewable sources , which is an increase from 2020 ’ s figure of around 2 %. In 2021 , the company increased its renewable energy purchases from 420,000MWh of renewable electricity , to more than 2,800,000MWh . Furthermore , we buy through PPAs ( Power Purchase Agreements ) which adds renewable capacity locally as opposed to buying RECs which have been heavily castigated by green groups .
The high levels of water consumption from data centres is an increasing issue and has been frequently highlighted by environmental bodies . At CyrusOne , it has been part of our sustainable mission to combat this issue and we have now achieved net-positive water status in three of our data centres by transitioning these sites over to water-free cooling mechanisms and by taking steps to invest in projects that see water restored in drought-prone areas . We used the Green Grid Water Usage Effectiveness metric to assess how much water is consumed in the US and we are transparent in committing to publish this data which we hope will inspire other operators to do the same .
Finally , data centre cooling systems traditionally evaporate water that subsequently discharges millions of gallons of water into the local landscape .
As a result , we now avoid evaporative cooling so that we can lessen the impact data centres have on water supplies and the environment .
Overall , CyrusOne is immensely proud of the progress the company has made so quickly and effectively in its sustainability efforts . We are committed at every level and continually thinking of how we can futureproof our operations and industry and look forward to continuing our success .

13 % OF THE OVERALL ELECTRICITY CONSUMED BY THE COMPANY IS FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES , WHICH IS AN INCREASE FROM 2020 ’ S FIGURE OF AROUND 2 %.

30 www . intelligentdatacentres . com