Renewables

LCL Data Centers to use biofuel for standby power

Caterpillar has announced that LCL Data Centers has commissioned a new 13.5MVA standby power solution at its Brussels-West data centre in Aalst that operates exclusively on 100% hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel. It is the first data centre in the nation to use biofuels for standby power operation. Facility planners for the company leveraged the expertise of engineering experts from Eneria to design, install, test and commission the solution, which consists of six Cat 3516B diesel generator sets. “With our deep roots in Belgium, we are committed to supporting environmentally responsible initiatives that create a better world,” says Laurens van Reijen, Managing Director, LCL. “Our collaboration with Eneria and Caterpillar has demonstrated the viability of HVO100 in our standby power systems. We’re strongly committed to becoming carbon neutral by the end of this decade, and we’ve launched numerous initiatives across our operations to help us achieve this goal.” Eneria will also provide ongoing maintenance and service under a Cat Customer Value Agreement (CVA). Through fully customisable CVAs, Cat dealers assume responsibility for the onsite maintenance and service of power solutions, enabling customers to focus on running their enterprises. “We were delighted to receive the request from the data centre specialist, LCL to ensure its emergency power generators operate on HVO100, a renewable diesel fuel. We tested the operation of Cat generator sets with traditional diesel, HVO100, and a blend of these fuels. We concluded that the power and reactivity performance of the generators remained the same regardless of the fuel used,” says Tim Bisson, Director of Eneria Belux. Propelled by the success of the project in Aalst, LCL plans to convert the standby power solutions at all its data centres to operate on HVO over the next two years. The standby system was installed as part of a €15.5m expansion that tripled its footprint in Aalst while achieving the Uptime Institute’s Tier III certifications for design and construction.

Schneider Electric unveils an industry-first carbon calculator

Schneider Electric has unveiled a new framework to help companies understand the full environmental impact of enterprise data centres. The framework, detailed in a whitepaper includes a Lifecycle CO2e TradeOff tool for accurately estimating the total carbon footprint of data centres – including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.    By quantifying Scope 3 emissions from its value chain, organisations can measure its total carbon footprint, including outsourced IT services from cloud and colocation service providers. This whitepaper takes a data-driven approach to helping data centre operators identify and categorise emissions from operations and the supply chain, then prioritise efforts to make impactful carbon reductions. As the US and EU are proposing rules to mandate, enhance, and standardise climate-related disclosures, accounting for and reporting on Scope 3 emissions will become a future requirement. Establishing and implementing a GHG framework that incorporates carbon counting and target setting while systematically reviewing company data and emission sources is the foundation to creating an achievable reduction plan. Electricity generation, GHG emissions and water consumption determine the carbon and water footprint of data centres, including that of its suppliers. “Developing a climate strategy that identifies the biggest source of carbon emissions in the value chain is fast becoming a data centre industry priority alongside the urgency to establish easy-to-use frameworks. We are 100% behind the drive for the industry to become the most sustainable in the world, by making resources free and readily available,” says Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric. “We have shared our latest whitepaper, and our free Lifecycle CO2e calculator, at a time when data centre operators are increasingly trying to understand its carbon footprint. Proactive data centre operators understand it will be held accountable for achieving net zero climate goals in the future to meet the expectations of its stakeholders, including customers, investors, employees, business partners and communities up and down the value chain.” Highlights of the whitepaper include: A ‘Data Centre Lifecycle CO2e Calculator’ to quantify the details driving Scope 3 in an enterprise data centre like embodied and sub-system embodied carbon. An approach to managing a hypothetical 1MW data centre with a focus on Scope 3 emissions and proposed actions for improvements like purchasing efficient and low carbon products. Advice on standardised metrics and what to measure like fuel and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution.

AirTrunk announces new data centre in Hong Kong

AirTrunk has announced plans to develop its second data centre in Hong Kong, supporting the demand for critical digital infrastructure in the region. The company's HKG2 data centre will be scalable to over 15MW and strategically located in a new, major cloud availability zone in East New Territories. Initial capacity is expected to be delivered to the anchor tenant in mid-2024. HKG2 complements HKG1, which opened in late 2020 in the West New Territories and provides location diversity for the company’s large technology customers. The addition takes its capacity to more than 35MW in Hong Kong. The facility will become the 10th data centre in its APJ platform that also includes data centres in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Collectively, the platform will offer almost 1.38GW across the region. AirTrunk's Deputy CEO, Michael Juniper, says, “As a key international business hub, Hong Kong has ambitions to accelerate the development of a digital economy. Combined with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), there is a huge demand for cloud services and the supporting critical digital infrastructure. HKG2 will play an important role in responding to this demand.” The data centre will be a retrofit of an existing building and designed to meet the stringent security requirements of global technology customers such as PCI DSS, ISO27001, SOC2 Type 2. Close to key data centres, it will enable international connectivity with direct and low latency access to Greater China and neighbouring North East Asian countries. AirTrunk's Head of Hong Kong, KC Li, says, “The development of HKG2 will bring significant benefits to the Hong Kong economy, including the creation of new jobs, enablement of public cloud, sustainable innovation, as well as community contributions.” HKG2 will be designed to an industry low power usage effectiveness of 1.25 and as part of the company’s broader emissions commitment, deliver net zero emissions by 2030, as well as renewable sourcing options.

Colt DCS launches new ESG strategy report

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has published its latest Sustainability Highlight report, covering the period of 2022. Launched as Colt DCS’ highlights report, it focuses on the three strategic areas of decarbonising the business, connecting people, and safeguarding the company’s operations. It has achieved a remarkable 52% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and a 28% reduction in Scope 3 emissions, compared to 2019. These significant reductions highlight the extent of the company’s sustainable practices as a data centre provider. Some of the other key highlights from the sustainability report include: A 30% reduction in emissions across all scopes compared to 2019. Achieved a global Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72. Procured 100% renewable energy in all European data centre sites. Colt DCS has been working diligently to achieve its sustainability targets, as a part of its ongoing commitment to minimise environmental impact, promoting social responsibility and driving positive change within the global data centre industry. The report showcases the company's significant achievements in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) for 2022. It highlights its commitment to reaching net zero by 2045. EcoVadis partnership and a top 1% sustainability rating, it continues to set data centre industry standards in its ESG practices. The report was prepared in conjunction with the Colt Group, which comprises Colt Data Centre Services and Colt Technology Services. Decarbonisation has been a primary focus and one of the key pillars in the ESG strategy. Its sustainability targets have been approved by the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi) in alignment with the latest net zero standard. Colt DCS has successfully reduced its carbon footprint by 30% compared to the 2019 baseline, amounting to an estimated 186,487 tonnes of CO2e. This reduction has been aided by the use of 100% renewable energy across its UK and European data centres, all of which are 100% carrier-neutral sites, engaging suppliers more effectively and implementing innovative cooling technologies. Its strategy goes beyond environmental sustainability and includes a strong focus on social engagement. The company recognises the importance stakeholder engagement across its value chain, including customers, suppliers, local communities and employees, with the aim of making a lasting positive impact in the regions it operates in. It encourages employee engagement and has established partnerships with local charities, forming employee led CSR teams to identify fundraising initiatives and volunteering opportunities. Local communities also serve as contributors of its workforce. The company recognises the importance of effective governance in achieving its goals for inclusion. During the pandemic, it introduced designated wellbeing days, prioritising the mental and physical health of its workforce. The effort saw 78% engagement with its ‘People Matter’ survey, with the results highlighting strengths under diversity & inclusion, customer focus, empowerment, sustainable engagement and well-being & stress. It is also striving to create an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought and representative of the communities it operates in. It is also committing to implementing equitable business practices that enhance the employee experience. In addition to prioritising stakeholder engagement, it delivers exceptional client service across its data centre portfolio. In 2022, the company achieved an impressive global Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72 across all customers in Europe and Asia, which is a testament to its goal of becoming the most trusted and customer-centric operator in the industry. Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO at Colt Data Centre Services, says, "We have made impressive strides towards achieving our sustainability goals and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our employees, customers and shareholders for their unwavering support.” Niclas adds, “Colt DCS has demonstrated remarkable dedication in delivering its sustainable hyperscale strategy while upholding its vision of being the most trusted and customer-centric data centre operator.”

Alibaba Cloud analyses carbon footprint for the Olympic Esports Week

Alibaba Cloud has announced that its AI-driven sustainability solution, Energy Expert, has been trialled to measure and analyse carbon emissions from temporary construction built to host the first Olympic Esports Week, generating data-driven insights on the choice of materials and equipment. The tool has been deployed through its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).The company deployed Energy Expert to measure and analyse the carbon emissions of the event’s temporary construction. A series of metrics including the impact of energy consumption, waste management, signage and decoration were assessed. This software-as-a-service tool was used by the local organising committee to compare the relative impacts of several types of materials and equipment.Energy Expert allows event organisers to identify the sources of the carbon emissions from venue construction and operation, quantify the carbon footprint generated by a venue and visualise a venue’s sustainability performance via an integrated dashboard and online reports.According to the solution, the carbon footprint of temporary construction for the Olympic Esports Week 2023 is estimated at 274 tons CO₂e, after replacing 60% of printed signage with digital alternatives which led to 14 tons CO₂e of CO₂ emission reductions, as well as reusing 50% of carpets after the event that would slash emissions further by 10 tons CO₂e. “We are always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, and we’re pleased to work with Alibaba Cloud to apply cutting-edge technologies to measure carbon emissions so we can continue to make a difference,” says Vincent Pereira, Head of Virtual Sport, IOC Sports Department. “We have been supporting the IOC’s digital transformation of the Olympics since Tokyo 2020, and it has been an honour to be part of this latest, historic milestone for virtual sport. Sustainability is one of the priorities for our sports innovation roadmap. As the sports industry continues to evolve, we’re passionate about providing organisations with timely data, actionable insights and energy-saving recommendations that make positive and tangible impacts,” says Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. The week marks the collaboration between the IOC and Alibaba on digital transformation and is Alibaba’s first large-scale international project to tackle carbon emissions within the esports industry.The esports industry has a growing environmental impact as the sport becomes more mainstream. Industry analysis estimates that in 2022 a single esports team could create as much as 100 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Individual consumption is also growing as 40% of the global population now play video games, according to industry analyst firm, DFC Intelligence, meaning that there’s a significant impact to be addressed.

Aruba takes the next step towards data centre energy efficiency

Aruba has announced that it is the first Italian company to have received the declaration of conformity of the Data Centres of the Ponte San Pietro technology campus to the European Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency (CoC), following an audit conducted by a third-party verification body, Bureau Veritas. The CoC for data centre energy efficiency was established by the European Commission in response to increasing energy consumption of data centres with the aim of informing and stimulating data centre operators to reduce this consumption in a cost-effective manner, without hampering the mission critical function of data centres. The focus is on how to improve energy demand within the data centre sector by raising awareness and recommending best practices in terms of energy efficiency. The CoC declaration of verification represents a guarantee of compliance with the best practices of the code, developed by the European Joint Research Centre, and is divided into thematic areas, such as utilisation, management and planning, IT, cooling, power, building and monitoring, with the aim of concretely reducing energy consumption. At the same time, it represents a competitive advantage for all customers, as it ensures compliance with one of the main requirements for data centres in the DNSH principle, the criterion that companies are required to observe in order to be eligible for NRP funding. According to this principle, companies that contribute through their economic activities to the protection of the ecosystem must not cause any significant harm to the environment. In addition, this code of conduct contributes to the compliance with the requirements of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact framework, to which Aruba is a signatory, together with other European providers, with the aim of making data centres climate neutral by 2030.

Princeton Digital Group takes steps on digital decarbonisation

Princeton Digital Group (PDG) has released the second edition of its ESG report, ‘Towards Digital Decarbonization’, which details its efforts to drive sustainability across its business and markets. Underscoring its vision to be the leader in sustainability in the region, PDG announced a commitment to work towards achieving net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. Most notably, PDG acted on its pledge to contribute to the fight against climate change by offsetting about 6% of its carbon footprint with the procurement of renewable energy from geothermal and biomass sources in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The company also entered several strategic partnerships with renewable energy providers across markets. PDG recognises that procuring renewable energy is the most definitive route to digital decarbonisation and recently signed a 25-year renewable energy contract with Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd to procure solar power generated by a captive project, for its MU1 Mumbai data centre.   “The unprecedented expansion of digital infrastructure provides a massive opportunity for the industry to prioritise sustainability. Our deep presence across Asia coupled with our position as a partner of choice for hyperscalers, provides us with a unique opportunity to lead the industry in driving digital decarbonisation,” says Rangu Salgame, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Princeton Digital Group. “We also aim to set industry-leading standards for protecting the health and safety of PDG employees, contractors, visitors, and clients, and build a work culture of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for our employees.” Its environment strategy is driven by procurement of renewable energy, energy and resource efficiency, green design and construction and technology and innovation. The company’s greenfield hyperscale projects are built with a design PUE between 1.2 – 1.4 leading to high energy efficiency. The company is also enabling technology solutions such as liquid immersion cooling in its data centres to optimise power consumption. The report, built in reference to GRI standards, shares details on the company’s carbon footprint and other ESG metrics. It also sheds light on the company’s approach and action plan for all material topics.

Report identifies new opportunities for data centres in Scotland

A new report commissioned by Host in Scotland has identified 20 best sites for green data centre development. The Data Centre Site Selection report provides the market with recommendations on potential new data centres locations across Scotland, with the aim of attracting inward investment of major colocation facilities or hyperscale development.  Host in Scotland has commissioned consultancies, FarrPoint and TechRE, to review its original Site Selection report from 2021. Its work identifies five new sites: Aberdeen ETZ, Queensferry One and Westfield Park in Fife, Millerhill in Midlothian and Whitecross Innovation Park, Falkirk. Each of them features a potential availability for renewable energy, bringing the list of potential sites across Scotland to 20. The study follows up on the Scottish Government’s publication, Green Data centres and Digital Connectivity Vision and Action Plan, which positions Scotland as a zero-carbon, cost-competitive location. Dr Andrew Muir, CEO at FarrPoint says, “With its expanded list of desirable sites, our updated report is likely to be of great interest to current data centre owners or operators in Scotland, as well as potential new entrants to the market, infrastructure providers and investors.  “The methodology and approach are consistent with how the data centre industry identifies sites for further detailed due diligence, so the report provides a reliable and useful starting point and guide to investigating data centre opportunities.” Henry Sutton, Director at TechRE says, “Scotland’s climate and renewable energy capability makes it an ideal location for data centres. Our new report comes at an opportune time for the country, as data centres increasingly seek out access to large sources of sustainable energy whilst plans for renewable projects, particularly major windfarms off the coast of Scotland come to fruition.”

Time to end siloed thinking and tackle sustainability across data centres and IT

Serverfarm will issue a white paper calling for an end to the siloed thinking that is preventing real sustainability actions in IT and data centres. “It is time for CIO, CTO and data centre leaders and stakeholders to address head on the ESG, decarbonisation and sustainability challenges we face today if we are to deliver true net zero data centres and IT,” says Arun Shenoy, CMO and SVP of Sales EMEA at Serverfarm. The paper, ‘Data Center + IT Collaboration to Cut Carbon’ provides an 'applications to data centres' perspective for CIOs, CTOs, CSOs and data centre leaders by providing a call to action for greater co-operation. It includes a number of checklists for IT and data centre engineers and offers a 'buildings to software’ perspective on digital sustainability. The paper covers greener data strategies for physical infrastructure, including existing buildings, new builds versus modernisation, greening space, power and cooling, green software development and applications, server and processor architectures, cloud tools, along with measurement, monitoring, and management strategies. “At every layer of the stack, there are sustainability gains to be made. Down at the processor level, CIOs prioritise performance per watt, whereas data centre engineers focus on the buildings and infrastructure. These data centres use thousands of megawatt hours per year, but are often underusing their power capacity,” says Arun.

First data centre in Bahrain to be fully powered by clean energy

Beyon’s Chairman, Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, has announced the completion of Phase 2 of the company’s Solar Park at a ceremony which recently took place in the presence of H.E. s Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohamed, President of Electricity and Water Authority; H.E. Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications; H.E. Yasser bin Ibrahim Humaidan, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs; H.E. Mrs. Noor Bint Ali Al Khulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development; and Mr Mohamed Almoayyed Director YK Almoayyed & Sons. The event was held at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa, where members of Beyon’s board of directors, executive team and team members involved in the project were present on the occasion. Beyon’s Chairman welcomed the distinguished guests and extended his appreciation for their attendance at the inauguration of Beyon Solar Park. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Beyon’s efforts towards sustainability and clean energy production continues, and we have made great progress since the launch of the first phase of the Solar Park in November 2021. Today we are glad to announce the completion of the second phase of the project. “We are also very proud of an unprecedented achievement in the telecommunications and technology sector, as Beyon’s Data Centre became the first in Bahrain to rely entirely on clean energy generated from the company’s Solar Park, which is located in the Beyon Data Oasis. “Our journey in the field of environmental sustainability continues in line with our commitment to Bahrain’s vision launched by His Royal Highness Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and announced as part of his address during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021, held in Glasgow, Scotland, which reiterates the Kingdom’s commitment to achieve zero carbon neutrality by 2060. Thus, we have set clear plans to start implementing the third phase of this project, which will be located in Hamala. Upon completion of this phase, the total clean energy production of Beyon will be approximately 6GWh per year. “On this occasion, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Ministries, concerned authorities and our partners for their invaluable support in helping us implement this project and contributing to its success,” Shaikh Abdulla concluded. Beyon’s Solar Park Phase 1 and 2 will generate 3.6GWh of clean energy leading to a carbon footprint saving of over 2000 tonnes and a cost saving of BD105,000 annually.