THE EDGE s data centres begin to reach their physical

Coined by some as the fourth revolution in agriculture , vertical farms today provide closed conditions which deliver major sustainability benefits including limited or zero use of pesticides , while ensuring the farm is safe from extreme weatherrelated events such as high temperatures , humidity , floods and fires .

One point to note , however , is that vertical farms are particularly energy intensive . For example , a survey of indoor vertical farms found they used an average of 38.8 kilowatt hours ( kWh ) of energy for each kilogramme of produce , which was more than seven times the energy used by regular greenhouses . With the increased pressures of spiralling energy costs and access to space , a concern for smaller start-up organisations and data centres could now provide a compelling solution for a new generation of farmers and help both industries reach new levels of sustainability .

Sustainability and data centres

Today the data centre industry is facing many significant challenges . One of the most prolific is new sustainability mandates across Europe and this will soon affect the UK and Ireland . This includes the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ( CSRD ) and Energy

Efficiency Directive ( EED ) which force data centre stakeholders to not only double down on their sustainability efforts but to ensure they are transparent and measurable at every step .

In recent years , data centre sustainability strategies have included the provision of energy efficient power and cooling systems , modernisation projects for inefficient legacy sites , the procurement of 100 % renewable energy and power purchasing agreements to support larger scale deployments . However , the landscape has evolved and data centre operators are proactively working within their supply chains to dramatically reduce Scope 3 emissions .

Clearly , being sustainable is no longer a ‘ nice-to-have ’ thing , it is essential to the future of the data centre sector and something that is echoed by businesses across the industry . A 2020 report from 451 Research , for example , found that 97 % of providers ’ customers are asking for contractual sustainability commitments .

Two years after this initial finding , another report by the analyst found only 26 % of participants identified as having a full life cycle sustainability programme and just 14 % were taking actions to implement it . Intent and action remain a problem .

Countries like the Netherlands are today asking for detailed sustainability plans before granting approval to businesses looking to build new facilities or expand an existing one . Similar efforts are taking place in Ireland , where the CRU has called on operators to generate as much or more renewable energy capacity , than they consume , among other key criteria .

What ’ s clear is that data centre operators have made great strides to reduce their environmental impact , but much has to be done especially in the face of the cost of living , energy and climate crises . As data centre owners and operators look for new answers and solutions to solve the much-anticipated legal frameworks and environmental requirements , vertical farms may offer the next yield in data centre sustainability .

Vertical farming and data centres

In recent years there have been major technological advances , allowing data centres to proactively seek out sustainability solutions and contribute to local ecosystems via greener digital infrastructure . Operators across the globe , for example , are seeking out opportunities to incorporate heat reuse capabilities and support local communities with precious resources via district heating systems .

Other solutions such as vertical farming could also provide a legitimate alternative to traditional sustainability mechanisms ensuring that data centre environmental targets are not only met but allows providers to work with local communities to revolutionise the surrounding economy .

Data centres can apply models which are already in existence where specifically designed growth indoor ecosystems allow plants and crops to thrive in unique Growth Towers through automatically generated and applied growth recipes .

If space was allocated at a highly secure data centre , either as a power source or as the perfect growing environment , www . intelligentdatacentres . com

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