Jay
Dietrich
The UNEP U4E initiative has proposed guidelines for data center design and operation and server and storage product efficiency requirements. These have far-reaching implications for data center operations in developing countries.
Jay Dietrich
Jay is the Research Director of Sustainability at Uptime Institute. Dietrich looks beyond the hype to analyze the transformations required in energy and IT systems, data centers and software management systems, and intra-organizational collaboration, both within and between companies, to deliver sustainable data center operations.
jdietrich@uptimeinstitute.com
Latest Research
UN body’s data center guidelines cause concern
Cooling systems: balancing cost, energy and water use
Data center operators building new systems can choose from nine categories of cooling technology. Innovative cooling equipment has minimized energy and water use and the average PUE for air-cooled and water-cooled systems.
Netherlands enforces efficiency mandates
The Netherlands is now enforcing the energy saving obligation, suggesting they will also enforce EED energy management system and audit requirements. Data center operators need to establish a plan to optimize their energy performance.
On-site natural gas: why some sites need it
Peter
Judge
Some operators are using natural gas for on-site power where the local grid is constrained. This will increase their emissions — but gas is essential in the transition to renewable energy and operators’ use of it is best seen in this light.
EED reporting limps out of the gate
The European Database on Data Centres is operational, but EU member state processes to provide required IDs are still being finalized. Operators should begin the data submittal process as member state coordinator(s) are assigned.
REPLAY | Does data center growth have to come at the cost of sustainability?
Andy
Lawrence
The acceleration of data center energy consumption growth projections appears to threaten sustainability objectives. Instead, it demands a reinvigoration of efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the IT infrastructure through better system…
Grid growth and decarbonization: an unhappy couple
The data center industry’s drive for carbon-free growth appears to be at odds with electricity grid stability. Data center operators will need to reorient their strategies to integrate growth, efficiency and decarbonization.
Shaky start for Europe’s EED legislation
The Netherlands has started to publish data center EED information and KPI reports — the first EU nation to do so — but with only 25% of reported IT space including data on energy and water use, the 2024 data report will not provide meaningful data.
Water is a local issue: site selection and facility design
Water use has become a critical element of a sustainability strategy. It is a location-specific issue: local climate and resources and the data center design will determine the water use profile of the facility.
Sustainability teams: key players and crucial collaborations
Rose
Weinschenk
Data center teams and their suppliers need to build a coherent, achievable sustainability strategy to address emerging regulations. Managers should clarify roles and set cross-functional metrics to achieve sustainability goals.
REPLAY | Data Centers and EU EED Reporting: Content and Timing Clarifications
Data Center reporting for the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) has been set for September 15, 2024. This webinar provides the current status and nuances of the reporting requirements as understood by Uptime Institute.
The long journey to concrete and steel decarbonization
Concrete and steel account for up to 50% of the building shell product carbon footprint (PCF). Material substitutions or alternative energy sources can reduce the two materials’ PCF by up to 30%, but zero-emission products are years away.
EED reporting deadlines are clarified
The Netherlands and Germany have established data reporting requirements with early reporting dates. The European Commission is working with member states to validate their European Database on Data Centers so operators can meet the deadlines.
REPLAY | Webinar: Sustainability and Water: Options to Address This Emerging Challenge
This webinar explores low water use cooling system innovations and water management strategies that can help operators navigate the sustainability and reliability implications associated with water use.
REPLAY | Webinar: Assessing Data Center Sustainability: Benchmarking and Best Practices
Jay
Paidipati
The increasing visibility of the data center sector, partly due to the significant growth in aggregate energy use and carbon emissions within the sector, has led to increased scrutiny of data centers’ individual and collective environmental…
