Data centers’ environmental impacts are increasing annually, becoming a notable contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Advancing technologies — like machine learning, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) — will likely make these numbers skyrocket. Data center sustainability is more critical than ever, and construction, energy and technology stakeholders play a role in tracking and reporting their footprints.
The Truth Behind Data Center Sustainability
Online traffic has grown 25-fold since 2010, making data storage and transmission an essential industry to scale. It has become responsible for up to 1.5% of the world’s electricity consumption, producing an estimated 1% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The number has steadily increased every year. The statistics are revealing when analyzing each country. For example, Ireland’s data center use tripled since 2015 and is projected to account for 28% of demand in 2030.
There are many reasons for this, including adopting modern and developing tech. Innovations like AI and cryptocurrencies are energy-intensive and becoming more normalized.
Additionally, industries are pressured to undergo digital transformation, leading to increased workloads and network energy use. Finally, more citizens worldwide are getting access to the internet, causing the number of users to jump to 5.5 billion in 2024.
The numbers are already revealing and incriminating for Big Tech organizations, but analyses suggest the impact is much greater than they report. The footprints of companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple and Microsoft may be 662% higher than they claim. The situation is likely more severe than consumers and stakeholders realize.
How Data Centers Can Embrace Sustainability
The current rate of expansion is unsustainable and will indefinitely postpone net-zero objectives. Data center sustainability must be a priority. What does this look like, and how can data centers enhance the effectiveness of their carbon usage?
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Power
Data centers need to reduce electricity consumption to support renewable energy. Excess use leads to high utility costs, dependence on fossil fuels and operational emissions. Stakeholders must leverage government incentives to install solar panels or on-site wind, buy renewable energy credits, or enter power purchase agreements. The Switch Tahoe Reno Campus in Nevada has 100% renewable data center operations, proving the viability of these methods.
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Numerous efficient solutions facilitate clean generators, with cooling systems and airflow management being the most prominent. Options include:
- Liquid and immersion cooling
- Free cooling
- Cold plates
- Evaporative cooling
Google’s data centers are taking advantage of these incorporations to reduce their impact. The company deploys machine learning to constantly optimize energy consumption in heat pumps.
Power usage effectiveness (PUE) describes the center’s electrical load divided by the IT equipment’s load. Most buildings achieve a 2.5 PUE, but efficient designs can get below 1.6.
Location Sourcing
Picking the correct location for a new data center is critical. Renewable power access and climate are essential considerations for long-term sustainability. Additionally, surveying the region to ensure it is not infringing on habitats or native lands is crucial for establishing climate equity and protecting biodiversity.
The construction process also relies on builders choosing eco-friendly materials. Sustainable practices prioritize recycled components or invest in modular setups for easier repairability. They should also minimize waste and use noninvasive construction methods to keep embodied emissions low.
Water Conservation
Conventional cooling systems use a lot of water, making conservation and recycling vital components of green data centers. Low-water options — like air- and dry-cooled systems — streamline and slash consumption. Rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling are perfect ways to achieve greater circularity and find additional sources for nonpotable applications.
Waste Heat Recovery
Data center technology produces a lot of runaway heat, which buildings can capture for reuse. It can feed back into the data center or be redistributed to power homes and local businesses through district heating networks.
Some experimental data centers are incorporating biomimicry in attempts to control heat management and capture it more efficiently. Equipment racks inspired by honeycombs enhance airflow and elephant skin-like server casings dissipate heat more considerately because of their wrinkled design. The gradual release can help waste heat recovery tech harness power with greater consistency.
E-Waste Management
Planned obsolescence and keeping up with increasing demand often lead to electronics going to landfills prematurely. Modular data centers eliminate part of this problem by making components easier to repair and replace, mass-producing them in controlled, lean manufacturing environments.
Virtualization is another helpful resource for green data centers. They can create digital floor plans to predict efficiency, airflow and internal condition management before implementing layouts.
How Data Centers Can Achieve LEED Certification
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is one of the most thorough certifications of its kind.
Organizations earn points to achieve varying levels of approval to become a LEED-certified structure. To begin their sustainable journeys, data centers can incorporate these practices including but not limited to these criteria:
- Energy efficiency: Install smarter technologies, including power distribution units, variable frequency drives and advanced cooling.
- Water conservation: Use resource-saving fixtures like rainwater barrels or practice resilient landscaping to reduce consumption.
- Sustainable site development: Minimize environmental impact by picking a location where construction will not lead to pollution, erosion, biodiversity loss or unnecessary resource consumption.
- Materials and resources: Incorporate locally available and renewable alternatives and circular waste management programs to reduce trash output and transportation needs.
- Indoor environmental quality: Implement extensive ventilation, daylighting, and low-emissive materials for comfort and pollutant control.
Data-Driven Decarbonization
Green data centers must become the standard. Otherwise, the planet will not be able to sustain transmissions. Data is inextricably intertwined with daily operations worldwide, and it must adapt to continue innovating and communicating without interruption. It forces stakeholders to embrace eco-friendly practices to manage heat, waste, water and construction methods to remedy the sector.
