Data Center Guide to Sustainability
A Guide for Data Center Designers, Operators and Owners
TJ Faze, Head of ESG Strategy & Engagement, Vertiv
Data centers support many of the digital innovations being used to fight climate change, but data centers also may require their own innovation-driven transformation.
A big challenge. A bigger opportunity.
As demand for capacity continues to grow, so too will data centers’ impact on the environment unless steps are taken to reduce that impact. That could require making design and operational changes that drive down emissions, water consumption and waste.
Those changes aren’t always easy, but they could deliver real value by enabling operators to reduce costs, make progress toward corporate goals, limit dependence on utilities, and improve recruiting and retention.
Discover the opportunities
Industry priorities related to efficiency have evolved. Where once the focus was on reducing energy costs, it has now largely shifted to reducing or eliminating carbon emissions. And not just emissions in many cases, but water consumption and waste as well. This has led some organizations to embrace the concept of the “net zero” data center as their aspirational goal.
One of the challenges operators face is making progress toward that goal while enabling availability, speed-of-deployment, and capacity growth. Fortunately, there are innovative solutions available today, and emerging, that reduce environmental impact without compromising other objectives.
The path to impact reduction.
If you’re looking to get there you need a strategy. One that doesn’t compromise goals such as availability, speed-of-deployment and capacity growth. And one that leverages the latest innovations in technology and system design.
How to get started
Get started on your sustainability strategy
We live in a time of extraordinary technological advancement and this growth requires our industry to refocus on safeguarding our planet while keeping vital applications running. I’m hopeful that with awareness, passion, and ingenuity, we will collectively meet future capacity requirements while reducing emissions and resource consumption.
200-250 terawatt-hours
Of electricity consumed by data centers in 2020
37.1 gigawatts
Of clean energy agreements purchased in 2021
660 billion liters of water
Estimated annual water use of U.S. data centers in 2020
1.57 PUE
Average data center PUE in 2021
10.5% CAGR
Projected growth for the data center industry between now and 2030
0 liters of water
Used by water-free economization systems
Source: Hyperscale Data Center Spending to Double Over the Next Five Years
Stemming the rise in data center energy consumption
2021 was a record year for clean energy power purchase agreements (PPAs), which grew 24% from 2020 to reach 37.1 GW. Hyperscalers Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta were the largest purchasers, highlighting the investments these large operators are making to support their carbon-neutral goals.
But there are also signs that hyperscalers are looking for clean energy solutions outside PPAs. Google, which invested more than any other organization in PPAs in 2020, reduced its investment in 2021 as it seeks sources of carbon-free power through other methods.
Leaning into renewable energy
Capacity growth outstripped the efficiency gains made by the data center industry between 2010 and 2020, increasing overall consumption.
And more growth is coming as investments in hyperscale data centers are expected to double over the next five years. Stemming the environmental impact of that growth could require more radical efficiency initiatives and reduced dependence on carbon-based energy sources.
Data centers can be water-intensive as well as energy-intensive. Municipalities in some areas are becoming reluctant to supply the high volumes of water required to keep IT systems cool using some thermal management systems. Cooling technologies that reduce or eliminate water consumption support water conservation and energy efficiency.
Reducing data center water consumption
PUE is a measure of data center infrastructure efficiency. After dropping sharply between 2010 and 2017, average PUE levels have plateaued even though new data centers are now achieving PUE levels of 1.2.
There is an opportunity to close the gap between average PUE and the PUE levels achieved by the most efficient data centers to reduce both energy consumption and emissions.
Breaking through the PUE plateau
Twenty million square feet of data center capacity was projected to be added in 2021, yet demand continues to outstrip capacity.
Continued capacity growth could increase the environmental impact of the industry unless efficiency improvements and other operational changes can offset the energy required to power new capacity.
Managing continued growth
As data center operators expand their footprint to bring services closer to users, they may be required to operate in areas where water availability is limited.
Water-free cooling systems support low PUE levels while helping operators achieve their goal of driving down water consumption.
Balancing energy efficiency and water conservation
Click on the icons to find out more
ENERGY: Driving to reduce losses from power and thermal inefficiencies.
CARBON: Moving away from carbon-intensive assets in favor of things like a hydrogen-powered ecosystem.
WATER: Developing new thermal configurations to minimize water consumption.
WASTE: Engineering solutions with less waste, that are easily upgradable, recyclable, or able to be refurbished.
Discover technologies enabling change
Looking for new ways to increase efficiency and resource utilization? Consider these technologies.
Five technologies to reduce environmental impact.
Click on each hotspot to discover the five technologies.
5
4
3
2
1
Intelligent power management:
New power system architectures and intelligent controls drive up system utilization and drive out inefficiencies.
Liquid cooling:
High-density environments can put a strain on data center efficiency without a liquid cooling solution designed specifically to deal with those densities.
Renewable energy:
Today, operators are relying largely on financial instruments to achieve zero carbon emissions with renewable energy, but the goal of some is locally generated renewable power supported by fuel cells and intelligent power systems. And it’s getting to be within reach.
Water- and energy-efficient thermal management: Using large amounts of water to drive down cooling energy consumption is no longer an option in many areas. Water-efficient thermal management systems support low PUE ratios with zero water use.
Lithium-ion batteries:
With compact lithium-ion batteries, operators can achieve greater reliability and reduce waste due to the longer service life these batteries deliver.
Click on the map to see the percentage of companies in each region that report on environmental sustainability progress.
Measurement plays a vital role in developing a plan to reduce environmental impact, monitoring progress, and supporting ESG reporting. Multiple frameworks and standards have emerged to enable consistent measurement and reporting.
Measuring performance and building momentum.
Learn more about measurement frameworks
Where you begin your journey will be dictated by where you are today. If you’re planning a new facility, considerations may include location, building design, construction method, and technology.
Building and operating for low environmental impact.
If you’re seeking to reduce the impact of an existing facility, you’ll want to evaluate newer technology systems and best practices that increase energy efficiency and utilization, reduce water consumption, and enable use of renewable energy.
Reducing impact in existing data centers
Building a low-impact data center
Reporting on Environmental Sustainability Progress
Around the world, 80% of all companies now report on environmental sustainability progress, including:
Around the world, 80% of all companies now report on environmental sustainability progress, including:
90%
in North America
77%
in Europe
84%
in Asia Pacific
59%
in the Middle East and Africa
Where you begin your sustainability journey will be dictated by where you at today.
Efficient solutions from design to use
Align to design and manufacturing processes
Build upon principles of sustainable design
Solutions
The data center industry has become integral to the way businesses operate and how people interact socially. It will also support many exciting innovations that will shape the future. By making changes that reduce water consumption and carbon emissions, the industry can continue to grow while reducing its environmental impact.
Progress is being made — and individual operators and the industry as a whole should find more ways to effectively communicate this progress — but there are more gains to be achieved as we work toward the goal of net-zero operations.
Supporting growth for your organization and the industry.
Dig Deeper Into Issues Driving Change in the Data Center.
New Concepts of the Sustainable Data Center Arise Amid an Evolving Market
Honeywell and Vertiv to Improve Sustainability for Data Center Operations Around the World
The Rise of the Sustainable Data Center
Vertiv and Green Mountain Raise the Bar for Data Centre Sustainability
New Sustainability Initiatives Are Driving the Future of Hyperscale Operations
Preparing for a Carbon-Free Future: Steps Colos Can Take to Reduce Their Reliance on Carbon-based Energy
1. Data Center Challenges and Opportunities
2. Taking the First Steps to Reduce Environmental Impact
3. Innovations Enabling Reduced Environmental Impact
6. Protecting the Future
4. Measuring and Reporting Data Center Efficiency and Emissions
5. Building and Operating Low-Impact Data Centers
Deliver impactful environmental improvements
Align actionable goals that permeate the organization
Collect scope 1 & 2 emissions, water, and waste data
Operations
We protect Vertiv’s employees from environmental, health, and safety risks so they can be prosperous and achieve their goals.
Safety
We believe that innovation is rooted in uniqueness and diversity of our people, perspectives and approaches. Together, Vertiv excels.
Diversity & Inclusion
Vertiv's approach to our planet and our people
Read the full-length articles that comprise the Vertiv Guide to Reducing Data Center Environmental Impact:
VERTIV'S APPROACH
Source: IEA
Source: Corporate Clean Energy Buying Tops 30 GW Mark in 2021
Source: How Much Water Do Data Centers Use
Source: Uptime Institute's 2021 Global Data Center Survey
Source: Allied Market Research
Source: Calculating the Impact of water usage on data center costs
