IT IS FIRSTLY IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A NATIONWIDE TRANSITION WILL NOT BE DRIVEN BY GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS BUT BY A STEP CHANGE IN WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY , AS WELL AS BY THE HYPERSCALERS .
F E A T U R E
Paul Finch , CTO of Kao Data
Clean , reliable and resilient , HVO does away with the performance inadequacies associated with earliergeneration biofuels . There is also no filter blocking , no clogging and it is immune to microbial attack when stored for lengthy periods ( it has an impressive storage life of up to 10 years ).
As frightening as these figures are , they will only get worse if decisive and radical action is not taken . If genuine sustainability is the goal , and future problems are to be avoided , data centres need to be powered today by the cleanest and most renewably sourced energy available .
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IT IS FIRSTLY IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A NATIONWIDE TRANSITION WILL NOT BE DRIVEN BY GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS BUT BY A STEP CHANGE IN WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY , AS WELL AS BY THE HYPERSCALERS .
It is relatively straightforward for data centre operators to ‘ go green ’ by switching to a net zero energy supplier but another challenge is for data centre backup generators to be powered by a sustainable , low-emission alternative to traditional diesel – in particular one that can be used without the need for costly engine modifications .
The benefits of HVO
Luckily , there is a solution at hand – Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ( HVO ).
A second-generation , synthetic and advanced , renewable diesel , HVO is made from vegetable oils , waste food stocks and fats using a process where hydrogen removes impurities and turns the raw oils into high-quality , paraffinic hydrocarbons .
To put into context just how gamechanging HVO can be in terms of reduced environmental impact , while regular diesel generates 3.1 tonnes of GHG CO 2 for every 1000 litres of fuel burnt , HVO produces just 300 kilos .
The beauty of HVO-powered backup generators for data centres is that they are not some fanciful theory , they are already a reality . In the same year that the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact was incepted , Kao Data became the first data centre operator in Europe to transition the data centres , engineered for AI , at our Harlow campus to HVO fuel .
No changes to mechanical infrastructure
Not only were we able to reduce
CO 2 produced by generators at our Harlow campus by up to 90 % and eliminate fossil fuels on-site , but we also achieved it without having to make any changes to the mechanical infrastructure – high-performance , reliable MTU generators from Rolls Royce Power Systems that support our Harlow data centres .
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