Green IT
power under all circumstances,
and we consistently deliver
99.9999% availability or better
around the world. However, we
have also realised that there
is plenty of room to keep this
promise while improving efficiency
and deploying renewable energy
technologies globally.
But how should the data centre
industry approach sustainability?
For us, forward planning and
investment in a solid foundation
has been key. In the early 2000s,
we were mindful of our choice in
building materials and the energy
efficiency of the components
within each data centre, which has
had a huge effect on minimising
our environmental footprint in
the long run. We continue to look
for new partnerships such as our
recent expansion with Bloom
Energy to deploy fuel cells at 12
data centres in the Americas.
It is these type of relationships
that we continue to build to
show that Equinix is dedicated to
ensuring that the advantages of
our increasingly interconnected
world come at the lowest possible
impact to our environment, and the
greatest benefit for the people and
places around us.
It’s also important to
understand that sustainability
is not only a responsible move,
but a necessary one to attract
business and keep up with the
competition. The cost of renewable
power sources can be less volatile
than power derived from non-
renewable sources such as coal,
which improves predictability in a
company’s business. Investment
in technologies that maximise
energy efficiency can also decrease
energy consumption, reducing
costs significantly in the long run.
Additionally, customers want
to be affiliated with data centre
providers that take this matter
seriously. Customers often set
carbon or renewable energy goals,
and in recent years, environmental
stewardship has been weighted
more heavily in the development of
many companies’ brand identities.
Energy efficiency
across Europe
We’ve been quite busy recently in
Europe with acquisitions in Spain,
Portugal and Turkey. During these
times of expansion, our goal of
using 100% renewable energy
for our global platform is more
important than ever. From solar
panels in Singapore to fuel cells
in Silicon Valley, we’ve worked
hard globally to make progress
against this goal. We’ve made
noteworthy strides in Europe,
as our data centres in the region
are operating at 81% renewable
energy as of 2016, and our newest
flagship data centre in the region,
AM4 in Amsterdam, operates on
100% renewable energy thanks
to state-of-the-art technologies
incorporated into the building’s
design. The same is true for our UK
flagship, LD6.
Our International Business
Exchanges (IBXs) in Amsterdam are
great examples of how data centres
can service many customers
and regions with minimal
environmental impact. Amsterdam
is a critical interconnection point
that services all of Europe within
milliseconds – The Netherlands
was ranked number one in
DHL’s Global Connectedness
“Processing
and moving
data
consumes
power:
There’s no
changing
that.”
Some of the
sustainability
measures in
Equinix’s new
flagship site in
Amsterdam,
including the
use of moss as
roof insulation,
the application
of solar panels,
and heating the
nearby university
building with
excess heat from
the data centre
Index, and as the second largest
interconnection market in Europe
(behind only London) in our own
Global Interconnection Index
published earlier this year.
Equinix manages more than
14,000 fibre cross connects in
Amsterdam alone. AM4 houses
4,200 IT cabinets across eight
floors, all while operating on 100%
green electricity from mixed hydro,
solar and wind generation. Our
Amsterdam data centres are also
very energy efficient thanks to
implementing new technologies into
the build design of the IBXs – Aquifer
Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) uses
groundwater to help chill air on the
colocation floor, rooftops covered
with plants and vegetation lower
cooling costs and reduce storm
water runoff, and photovoltaic solar
systems reduce supplement power
from the local grid.
While progress on
environmental responsibility will
require investment, hard work,
and creativity, I remain optimistic
on the future of the sustainable
data centre. Most of the industry
leaders are taking this matter
very seriously, with many moving
away from non-renewable energy.
As the data centre industry
continues to grow to keep up with
the growth in internet traffic,
environmental responsibility
needs to be made a priority as
business decisions are made.
October 2017 | 21