20
GREENING THE DATA CENTRE
The Future of Energy Needs
By 2018, more than 78 per cent of workloads will
be processed by the world’s data centres. The more
centralised that data becomes, the more efficiently
it can be processed. This is because data centre
operators are driven to maximise the potential
capacity of their servers. Essentially, one large data
centre uses less power than multiple small server
rooms processing the same amount of information.
Add to this the benefits that cloud brings to
sustainability, such as better transport coordination,
weather forecasting and smart grid applications, and
you can start to see a winning formula.
The harsh truth and in fact reality is that most of
the energy consumed in a data centre is wastefully
converted into heat. Finding some practical ways
to use this heat so that it can offset other heating
demands, would go a long way toward reducing
carbon emissions.
There have been many energy related legislative
changes in recent years. The EU Energy Efficiency
Directive obliges member states to implement
mechanisms to improve energy efficiency across their
economy. The Irish Government recently published an
energy white paper that sets out the future direction
of energy policy in Ireland. It consolidates all of
the targets, objectives and aspirations for Ireland’s
energy future and is summarised as follows.
The EU has set a target of 20 per cent renewables,
20 per cent efficiency improvement and 20 per cent
carbon reductions by 2020. As it stands, Ireland
is already at 24 percent renewable electricity and
heading for 40 per cent by 2020.
Ireland is evolving its grid services. Ancillary services
are designed to absorb more renewables into the
electrical grid which will provide opportunities for
data centre owners from 2017.
Additionally, Ireland will promote efficiency
through utilities. Utilities are obliged to deliver
efficiency projects against specified annual targets.
Ireland also has a strong innovation ecosystem
around energy technology development including
sustainable communities, battery energy storage and
ocean energy and finally they will provide continued
support for industry-led research into energy
solutions.
Each country is different and comparing one
against another is challenging. Some countries have
abundant hydropower while others will reduce their
carbon footprint with nuclear energy. Ireland has high
wind speeds and a cool climate and there are many
other factors for a data centre consumer to consider
Like any enterprise dependent on energy, a
data centre requires considered design, integrated
technologies and operational control. Done well
this provides the flexibility to adapt throughout the
life cycle and establish meaningful sustainability
credentials for increasingly vigilant customers. With
access to renewable and reliable power and the
availability of people with the required skills, Ireland is
ready to handle the oncoming mountain of data.
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