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DATA CENTRES
same principles to the wider infrastructure of a facility – into the areas that data centre providers can control. For example, at VIRTUS the section valves deployed in our Fire Suppression systems. Our goal was to introduce enhanced functionality, which was challenging to do ‘in-situ’ - so we fabricated a small number We swapped out some valves on-site and returned the originals to the manufacturer for ‘part harvesting’. They dismantled the the parts to create a more enhanced valve, which were returned to site and installed. The result was little waste, lower cost and speedier installation.
Evolution not revolution As well as these new initiatives, it’s important to remember that there is already a raft of work being carried out across the data centre industry to meet its sustainability obligations – and which we will see grow and evolve over the years ahead.
Cooling is a notoriously energy intensive
element of the data centre infrastructure, however, improvements in IT hardware design mean that equipment is able to operate at higher temperatures than before. This provides the opportunity for data centre operators to reduce their cooling demands, resulting in lower energy consumption from the cooling plant.
The cooling demands of Hyperscale Data
Centres tend to favour chilled water cooling systems so the water impact is negligible. This is because once a system is operational, only limited amounts of make-up water are required. Chilled water systems have capability – that is, using ambient outside temperatures for cooling. Trends like immersion cooling, back-up
power and generation solutions are all interesting areas for innovation in the future and liquid cooling has fast made a comeback as a way of maintaining optimal operating temperatures; particularly in the High Performance Computing (HPC) arena together with innovative techniques like using indirect evaporative air.
The future looks bright for the data centre industry – with many providers working hard to look at all the things which they can do to meet their most pressing sustainability goals, from innovative cooling techniques, to getting the most out of equipment and managing partners in the supply chain. Until now, we’ve seen companies successfully tackle their Scope 1 emissions (those from owned or controlled sources) and their Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling). However, a big focus in the year ahead will be tackling Scope 3 emissions, which include the indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain such as business travel, purchased goods and services, waste disposal and even employee commuting.
But no company is an island, and the industry must work together to solve its green challenges. From sharing best practice to setting up multi party task forces, there is plenty of scope for more collaboration. Indeed, it’s only by working together that we will make the necessary steps to truly green this industry.
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www.acr-news.com • November 2022 23
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