INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE
Is it time to look at a new build strategy ?
Data centre build requirements are driven by a number of factors – a major one being sustainability capabilities . Angela Vico Correas , Director , studioNWA , considers the pillars of an effective build strategy to ensure modern data centres continue to evolve .
In an era dominated by digitisation , data centres have emerged as the essential backbone of the modern business landscape . These facilities have become pivotal in handling the rapid growth of data , as well as the ever-increasing demands for processing and storage . Data centre design is reshaping with a large focus currently on sustainability , life cycle and social responsibility .
In a world acutely conscious of environmental impacts and net zero targets , data centres are under great scrutiny . Of course , the push towards green initiatives is fuelled by the need to reduce energy consumption and environmental footprints .
Not only is there the Paris Agreement where EU countries agreed to reach net zero by 2050 , but the industry itself has committed to significant green targets by 2030 under the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact .
With growing concerns about the environmental impact of data centres , new data centre design has an emphasis on energy efficiency , renewable energy sources and green technology . Data centres are intrinsically power hungry and despite the temptation to think that ‘ there is nothing we can do about it ’, there ’ s a lot that the data centre industry can and is implementing to reduce its environmental impact .
Looking at energy usage , one of the recent projects we worked on at studioNWA recycles 100,000MWh of energy per year . This excess energy , which would otherwise be wasted , is now recovered from servers and then , through a local district heating system , is transformed into residential heating . This is highly beneficial to the local community and residential areas as homes throughout the neighbourhood are heated .
Data centres are now being designed with materials specified with low environmental impact over their whole life cycle , therefore prioritising the concept of circularity . With new build data centre projects , the aim is to have demolition and construction waste targets as high as a 95 % rate for reuse , recycling and material recovery . Structures are now being designed utilising recyclable or even recycled steel frames . At studioNWA , we are collaborating on projects that implement renewable energy sources such as solar panels , as well as the implementation of new generation technologies – from replacing traditional diesel fuel standby generators to introducing Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil generators . These measures can reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 95 % concerning standard technologies . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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