Data centers are substantial electricity consumers, but there is hope for better energy efficiency. A green data center roadmap can help reduce carbon footprint by making more efficient use of electricity.
7 Goals of this Green Data Center Roadmap
Green data centers are an increasingly popular solution to traditional facilities' energy and cost concerns. But as with any new technology, there is a learning curve that often results in costly mistakes. The good news is that there are several steps with each goal you can take to reduce your carbon footprint on the way to a greener data center.
Goal 1 – Measure and Track Data Center Carbon Footprint
Before you can do anything about reducing your carbon footprint, you need to figure out how much carbon dioxide you're emitting right now. There are several ways to go about this, but one of the easiest is using Green Grid's free online Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency Calculator.
Estimates vary depending on what information you enter into this calculator. However, even if you only enter grim forecasts of server efficiency and cooling use, the results will be enough to get a better idea of where your data center's biggest energy sinks may be.
Goal 2 – Reduce Electricity Use
To reduce energy usage, there are some options:
Installing better equipment will often save costs in the long run by lowering overall energy costs.
Investing in technology that reduces power consumption.
Implementing more efficient ways of running your business.
Encouraging employees to use more efficient methods for doing their jobs, such as only printing what's necessary instead of letting print jobs pile up.
Goal 3 – Reduce Cooling Use
One way to reduce data center energy consumption is to ensure that your data center uses power more efficiently. The most obvious way to do this is to improve the energy efficiency of the data center's computers, servers, and other devices. But reducing cooling costs can also be done by improving the efficiency of your cooling systems, making sure your data center is operating at peak performance and using alternative cooling systems where appropriate.
Goal 4 – Transition to Renewable Electricity Sources
The transition to renewable electricity sources will help reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from existing generation sources; it will also support growth in this critical industry sector. Renewable electricity sources include solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and ocean energy.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that renewable electricity generation—including hydropower—will increase substantially over the next 20 years as more states adopt renewable portfolio standards (RPSs).
Goal 5 – Calculate the True Carbon Cost of Virtual Machines
and Servers
The carbon footprint of servers and virtual machines is a complex topic that has received much attention recently. For example, the impression of cloud computing has been estimated to account for more than 30% of the total carbon emissions from the data center industry.
For these reasons and others, many companies strive to reduce their carbon footprint by changing their energy use habits and investing in renewable energy resources and carbon offset efforts.
Goal 6 – Design and Build Carbon Neutral Data Centers
The economic and environmental benefits of the green data center are well documented. In addition to increased real estate costs, the energy consumption of modern data centers is a cause for concern. By reducing energy consumption and associated carbon emissions, organizations can substantially mitigate the impact of their data centers on the environment.
One potential solution is to move to carbon-neutral power generation. Carbon Neutral Power is supplied by clean, renewable resources such as wind or solar and does not produce any carbon emissions when generated. The result is a reduction in carbon emissions from the data center and its power supply.
Once deployed, the green data center represents ongoing carbon emissions and energy consumption savings.
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Goal 7 – Offset Your Carbon Footprint with Renewable Energy
Credits and Carbon Credits
A Green Data Center minimizes environmental impact by applying sustainable design and operation. The Carbon Credits industry has provided many powerful tools for data center managers to reduce their carbon footprint.
The typical carbon footprint of a U.S. data center is about 250,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, which translates into more than $50 million in energy costs per year. This figure can be reduced using renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.
Offsetting a company's carbon footprint also helps to establish a positive brand identity. A company can offset its carbon footprint by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). A REC represents the environmental benefits of 1 MWh of renewable electricity generation. In an average year, the RECs generated by an on-site solar PV system or a large wind farm can equal or exceed the electricity used at a mid-size data center. With this in mind, a company may purchase RECs to offset its carbon footprint while implementing sustainable practices in the design and operation of its Green Data Center.
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