Revolutionising Telecom Services and Data Centres with Green Technology Initiatives
By B Vishwanathan
Today, corporations place a high priority on mitigating climate change, and social and legal pressures compel them to act right away. Because of their growing environmental impact, data centre (DC) suppliers are increasingly feeling the pressure. The International Energy Agency conducted research that estimates global data centre power use in 2022 to be between 240 and 340 TWh, or 1.3% of global final electricity demand. Given that we live in a data-driven world and that data is essential to today’s digital economies, this consumption is only certain to increase. Therefore, in an effort to lessen its influence on the environment, a sustainable approach is required. Let’s look at a few green technology initiatives from this perspective.
Location is essential
The selection of the location is the first stage in the sustainability process. Numerous considerations need to be made while deciding on the best site for a data centre. When choosing a location, even if they are not originally planned, a long-term view that takes the facility’s lifespan into consideration should be taken into account. This entails allocating space for gas turbines and/or hydrogen fuel cell microgrids to generate electricity on-site, as well as enough storage. Site selection factors need to be more relevant for both freestanding data centre buildings and data centre building clusters when compared to amenities added to an existing structure.
Considering sustainability when designing infrastructure
Comprehensive standards for the building’s construction phase and the data center’s infrastructure are provided by IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) norms. In Ashrae 90.4 standards, data centre infrastructure is the specialised subject. Building architects and data centre design specialists will need to work closely together to guarantee that availability and sustainability criteria (uptime, TIA, and LEED) are carefully balanced. Especially in data centres meant for colocation services, modular design with multiple-tier availability requirements for discrete server rooms is required to prevent overengineering. Both freshly built standalone buildings and facilities added to already-existing structures must comply with IGBC regulations.
Sufficient use of water
Utilising water wisely needs to be an organization’s top priority because, according to Delloite study, data centres’ cooling needs account for an estimated 40% of their energy use. Water footprints require in-depth research, particularly when considering India. Water-cooled evaporators add to a lower PUE (power usage effectiveness) when combined with air condensers. Since visibility is the first step towards effective DC water usage, accurate reporting is essential to comprehending the water usage performance of a DC. DCs can then pinpoint areas for improvement and identify the main waste areas. These could take the shape of equipment upgrades, temperature thresholds, or infrastructure designs.
Think about replenishable resources
When considering moving to renewable energy (RE) to power their DCs, businesses must consider the regulatory and reputational ramifications of continuing to use fossil fuels. Legislative mandates in the future are inevitable because India has already set lofty targets for becoming a net-zero economy and transitioning to renewable energy sources within predetermined timelines. Indian data centre operators could follow the lead of their European counterparts and launch a self-regulatory programme with goals similar to the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. This will help with an expensive refurbishment should regulations change in the future.
Creating environmentally friendly, sustainable data facilities
Sustainability in the context of data centres would encompass a broad variety of tasks, from setup and maintenance to equipment retirement and disposal. This enhances the possibility of reducing the environmental impact of the data centre. The selection of a site, the sustainability of the infrastructure, the prudent use of water, and the consideration of renewable energy sources are thus the four areas that require the most attention.
There is potential for significant expansion in the Indian data centre sector. The Indian data centre market is expected to grow to USD 9.88 billion by 2028, according to Statista. Despite having a marginally higher PUE than their European counterparts, data centre operators in India can still take several steps to increase sustainability. Leaders in the industry as a whole need to ensure that it doesn’t seem to be having a significant negative influence on the environment while assisting other economic sectors—such as telecom infrastructure—in their attempts to become more sustainable.
(The author is B Vishwanathan, CEO, HCIN Networks Private Limited, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
