Schneider Electric has released a five-part datacentre sustainability-focused framework that is created to assist operators reduce the environmental impacts of their facilities.
The power systems management company is billing the structure as an industry-first, which is designed to assist operators make their sites more environmentally friendly no matter how far advanced their sustainability efforts are.
The structure sets out to achieve this by assisting to focus the minds of datacentre operators on five quantifiable areas. These consist of keeping track of just how much energy their facilities utilize, the amount of greenhouse gases they generate, their water consumption routines, along with just how much waste is made during the construction and operation of these sites, and the impact they have on biodiversity.
The toll that datacentres handle the environment is coming under increased examination from environmental policy makers, federal governments, regulators and sustainability lobbyists, prompting numerous operators to announce net-zero carbon and energy use reduction targets in the last few years.
For instance, at the start of 2021, more than 25 of colocation and cloud firms revealed a partnership with various technology trade associations dubbed the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, as a show of their commitment to cutting their carbon emissions.
However, according to Schneider, lots of datacentre operators lack the in-house knowledge required to improve their website’s environmental track records or are “intimidated” by the selection of metrics that exist to track the performance of their centers from a sustainability point of view.
The structure, which was established by the members of Schneider Electric’s Energy Management Research study Centre, is geared towards taking the “uncertainty out of measurement and reporting”, it included.
Pankaj Sharma, executive vice-president of the safe power division at Schneider Electric, stated the structure must also help the market standardise how it executes, measures and reports its ecological impacts.
“Schneider Electric established a holistic framework with standardised metrics to guide operators and the market at large,” stated Sharma. “Our intent with this structure is to improve benchmarking and development towards ecological sustainability to secure natural deposits for future generations.”
Rob Brothers, programme vice-president for datacentre and support services and IT market watcher IDC, said the structure should also assist reinforce the efforts that numerous gamers have already launched to enhance the ecological friendliness of their datacentres.
“The datacentre market has actually made significant development in increasing energy performance; nevertheless, as digital needs increase, they should stay committed to driving long-lasting more comprehensive sustainability initiatives,” he stated.
“You can’t have an impact on what you don’t measure, for that reason companies must develop clear and constant metrics that represent not just effective technology, but likewise the intake (or possible destruction) of natural deposits such as water, land and biodiversity.”
