HIGH-QUALITY LAND IS AVAILABLE WHICH CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR MODERN BUILDINGS WITH HIGHLY EFFICIENT ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN .
EXPERT OPINION
Edinburgh connects directly to London offering diversity for data transfers . Another route from Edinburgh utilises Tampnet ’ s subsea network in the North Sea connecting with the burgeoning data centre market in the Nordics . FARICE-1 is a submarine communications cable connecting Iceland , the Faroe Islands and Scotland . The cable has been in use since January 2004 .
Within the country the Scottish Government says £ 1 billion has been invested in such programmes – Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband ( DSSB ), Reaching 100 % ( R100 ) and Scottish 4G Infill ( S4GI ). These , alongside extensive commercial investment , have greatly extended the reach and capacity of fibre networks across the country .
Time to scale
Scotland ’ s ability to attract hyperscale data centre developments would appear to reside in its renewable power generation capacity and energy storage potential . As i 3 Solutions Group GHG abatement initiative shows , evaluation of clean on-site power generation ; power storage such as battery ( chemical ), kinetic , pumped hydro and gravity ; microgrids ( islanded and integrated operation ); and new revenue potential of being a grid power supplier , are fundamental considerations for large scale developments .
Scotland ’ s initial attractiveness will be viewed through access to thousands of MW of renewable energy power generation plus its low carbon intensity grid . However , while power remains the dominant factor , other advantageous considerations around planning , location , design and operation cannot be ignored .
The planning environment for data centre development expects integration with local economies , Scotland ’ s broader economy and adherence to sustainability goals .
This could work in favour of developers . For example , in 2021 , the Scottish government passed The Heat Networks ( Scotland ) Act 2021 to accelerate the deployment of district heating in population centres . This could make metro data centre developments attractive . Use cases for data centre heat reuse in rural locations include Scotland ’ s historically large and rapidly growing agriculture and aquaculture sectors .
Scotland ’ s skills base is built on a historical engineering prowess in areas such as transport , oil and gas which are transitioning to leadership in hydrogen and sustainable fuel and energy alternatives .
On the mechanical engineering design front , the country ’ s low ambient temperatures and soft water resources provide options for adiabatic cooling and enhanced free cooling opportunities to improve efficiency through low PUE ( Power Usage Effectiveness ).
Digital infrastructure requires long-term sustainability . All large-scale data centre developments are seeking a clean energy future but many will also require the combination of benefits that Scotland has in abundance . �
HIGH-QUALITY LAND IS AVAILABLE WHICH CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR MODERN BUILDINGS WITH HIGHLY EFFICIENT ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN .
Scotland is also sparsely populated . Covering an area of 78,782 square kilometres ( 30,418 square miles ), its population density is listed at 67.2 people per km 2 ( 174 / square mile ).
Compare this with England where the population density is over 430 per km 2 . That means for site selection , highquality land is available which creates opportunities for modern buildings with highly efficient electrical and mechanical infrastructure design .
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