THE TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED TO HELP BUSINESSES DECARBONISE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE – AND THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THESE SOLUTIONS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE ATTRACTIVE .
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
HOW CAN DATA CENTRES ADAPT THEIR NET ZERO PLANS AMID AN ENERGY CRISIS ?
1 % of business leaders
8 at UK and Irish data centres say the energy crisis will impact their organisation ’ s ability to meet its emissions reduction plans , according to research published by Schneider Electric , a leader in the Digital Transformation of energy management and automation .
Of that figure , around half of organisations say they are delaying planned investment in sustainability and net zero plans ( 49 %). Four-in-10 of the same organisations ( 40 %) say they now have more immediate business challenges to meet , while 43 % claim that emission reduction targets are no longer an issue for their stakeholders . More than one-in-five ( 22 %) of these firms claim that taking practical action to meet targets is difficult .
Decarbonisation helps businesses reduce energy use and lower energy costs at a time when energy prices remain volatile .
Crucially , the survey of more than 1,500 large organisations reveals that business leaders still recognise the importance of working towards emissions reduction targets , as nearly one-third ( 32 %) of data centre business leaders believe that climate change and net zero ambitions will become more of a priority over the next three years . Only a small minority ( 11 %) believe that national net zero commitments will be diluted in that time .
“ Business leaders tell us that the energy crisis should be seen alongside the many other challenges they have faced over the last 12 months , including economic pressures , cybersecurity and skills shortages ,” said Mark Yeeles , Vice President , Secure Power Division , Schneider Electric UK and Ireland . “ Yet our research suggests that some of the UK and Ireland ’ s data centres are ‘ kicking the carbon emissions can down the road ’, as a result of the energy crisis .
“ As fears grow about progress against global commitments made under the Paris Agreement , and the UK ’ s Climate Change Committee warns of a lack of progress on emissions cuts , the UK and Ireland need data centres to play their part and stick to their net zero and emissions reduction targets ,” added Yeeles .
The survey also reveals that 32 % of data centre managers believe that energy prices will fall over the next three years , while 71 % think their organisation will still be addressing the energy crisis in 12 months .
Presenting the survey findings , Yeeles urged data centres to re-engage with their emissions reduction ambitions : “ It ’ s not all doom and gloom : as our research shows , business leaders still believe in their climate change ambitions – they simply need to push the subject back up the corporate agenda .
“ The technology required to help businesses decarbonise is already
THE TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED TO HELP BUSINESSES DECARBONISE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE – AND THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THESE SOLUTIONS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE ATTRACTIVE .
available – and the return on investment for these solutions has never been more attractive , with payback periods measured in months rather than years . Organisations still have time to meet their net zero commitments by understanding and addressing energy use , investing in renewable energy and energy-saving technology , and embedding sustainability and carbon reduction targets in their business plans ,” he added . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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