Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know
As data centres grow larger and more energy intensive, careful consideration at the planning and construction stages can reduce climate impact and cost.
Very large, so-called ‘hyperscale’ data centres can grow to cover the area of multiple football fields. These buildings, used to house computer systems and their associated components, have huge energy demands – almost 4% of global electricity demand – with the potential to cause negative environmental impacts.
As the global energy regulatory landscape undergoes a period of flux stakeholders are increasingly keen to structure data centre projects in the most effective way to take advantage of regulatory requirements. Data centre developers and their users are seeking solutions that are beneficial to them and to the environment. Securing as close to 100% renewable energy supply as possible is no longer just an aspiration, but a requirement.
Reducing environmental impacts
There are several ways to deliver greener data centres that maximise planning consents and reduce carbon offset requirements and costs as far as possible. While there is certainly no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, here are ten common ways that data centre projects can reduce their environmental impacts.
Brownfield sites
Selecting brownfield sites where it is possible to do so carries a number of benefits – not least cost savings because access to infrastructure like water and sewer lines already exists. But choosing brownfield sites also takes development pressure off green spaces and working lands and can reduce embodied carbon emissions by up to 20% compared to similarly sized greenfield sites.
Bigger data centres
Individual hyperscale data centres are far more energy efficient than multiple smaller, local servers. That means that grouping planned data centres together or collaborating with other smaller developers to develop a single shared site can immediately reduce the overall associated energy consumption.
Choosing cooler locations
The climate of a data centre’s location is a critical factor to consider in the pre-development stage. Data centres require a cool environment to operate efficiently, and colder climates are ideal for this purpose. Developers should look for locations with low average temperatures and low humidity levels, and take advantage of any existing trees and vegetation in the location that can provide shading.
Wind and solar farms
Data centre developers should consider connecting to existing local distribution and transmission wind and solar networks where possible. If there are no wind and solar farms nearby, developers could invest in building one alongside the data centre, or collaborate with a renewables developer to co-locate and purchase 100% green energy.
Heat networks
A heat network is a system of insulated pipes that transport heat from a central source or sources to heat nearby homes and businesses. Connecting to a nearby heat network can allow a data centre to recycle the heat it generates and maintain the lower temperatures that optimise performance.
Focus on roofs
Combining ‘green’ roofs, which are covered with vegetation, with ‘blue’ roofs, which allow buildings to harvest rainwater, can effectively reduce the air temperature around solar panels, which makes them more efficient. Super insulated ‘cool roofs’ are highly effective at reducing temperatures and meeting data centre cooling requirements.
Upgrade hardware
Consistently upgrading hardware can help to improve a site’s energy efficiency. On-site electricity storage, for example, can balance a data centre’s renewable electricity generation versus its demand, and provide back-up facilities and electric vehicle charging.
Closed-loop water chiller cooling systems
A closed-loop water chiller system is a good choice for many industrial and commercial applications like data centres. These use coolant fluid in a closed-loop setup to exchange heat from various industrial and commercial processes. Employing a closed-loop water chiller system not only reduces costs over time but is also more environmentally-friendly than traditional alternatives.
Compared to a single pass cooling setup, which uses water only once before dumping, a closed-loop water chiller will recycle water repeatedly. A closed system also limits the release of contaminants into water bodies which may be harmful to the environment.
Digital twins
A digital twin is a virtual representation of a system or building that spans its lifecycle, and is updated using real-time data provided from sensors installed in the twin’s physical counterpart. The digital twin can then be used to optimise energy consumption by simulating the behaviour of the physical system in real-time, including during hot and cold weather.
Construction materials
Choosing the right construction materials, and identifying opportunities to use them strategically, can significantly reduce a project’s embodied carbon emissions.
For example, using a low-carbon steel and timber frame construction combination can cut embodied emissions by up to 40% when compared to traditional construction materials like concrete and cement.
Innovative materials like carbon negative walling materials, ‘PassivHaus’ standard windows, and gel insulants can also increase energy efficiency and air-tightness of a site, significantly reducing heat spread. Specialist glazing and coatings can also prevent buildings from absorbing heat from the sun’s rays.
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