Data Centers Using Green Power
This week, Microsoft announced that it will open three Swedish data hubs using only green power. While the energy crisis is costing Microsoft “hundreds of millions of dollars within the year,” the shift to renewables is helping to offset soaring gas prices, said Microsoft’s Noelle Walsh. It’s also the key to meeting the company’s target of becoming carbon negative by 2030.
The focus on conserving energy and shifting to green power is a common trend within the Data Center industry. If you missed it, check out our past blog that covered the Vertiv Webinar about Data Center sustainability. DSI Blog – Data Center Sustainability
The Data Center industry is at the center of two major forces: ever-growing demand for data and very real effects of climate change. We are responsible for conducting environmentally friendly and efficient services. Sustainability is defined as the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Carbon-neutral refers to balancing out the total amount of carbon emissions. We can build in a sustainable way by using green materials like CO2 sequestering cement, high density/high strength wood, sustainable building insulation, carbon-free steel, carbon-free structural plastics. The first step toward achieving sustainability is measuring/reporting your carbon footprint and product carbon content.
Additionally, in the webinar hosted on November 4, Data Center Frontier and Schneider Electric Data Center Frontier Article explored how microgrids can provide sustainable onsite power for Data Centers. Microgrids are proven technology that gives Data Centers the ability to generate their own renewable and sustainable power onsite. This session focused on environmental sustainability. Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have” – it is now a “must have.” Moreover, industry leaders are driving requirements to their Data Center providers. Sustainable onsite power generation can replace diesel (aka microgrid).
Microsoft is currently expanding its tally of 250 centers by 50 a year. “Our plan is to have Sweden as one of the largest in Europe, equivalent to the Dublin and Amsterdam footprints, Microsoft’s Noelle Walsh, who runs the infrastructure side of the company, said in an interview. “Almost every country in the world wants a set of Data Centers now.”
“We really focus on the way we can build Data Centers in a way that meets our carbon negative goal,” said Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Officer Lucas Joppa. The centers are Microsoft’s first to have back-up generators that are based off at least 50% renewable raw material. “Businesses of all sizes and industries can now host their cloud workloads,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
You can read the full article at Data Center Knowledge Article.
