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Data Centres, Part 3. How to minimise the environmental impact

By Fay Capstick

We have so far looked at the different methods used to cool data centres, including liquid immersion cooling and air cooling. We have also investigated the impact of the massive amount of water that data centres use, and we have seen how some schemes are in place to utilise the huge amount of excess heat that data centre servers generate to heat swimming pools and communities. This week in the final part of our deep dive into the world of data centres and we shall look at further ways to minimise the environmental impact of data centres, with solutions including locating them underground.

What are the main ways to reduce the environmental impact of data centres?

Use as much renewable energy as possible: Using renewal energy such as solar, wind, or hydropower can help reduce the amount of strain that a data centre puts on the environment. This will reduce the overall carbon footprint. Many data centres are already doing as much as they can to reduce their impact. In sunnier climates installing on-site solar panels is a helpful solution. In other areas off-setting the carbon usage might be better.
Using energy efficient cooling: We have looked at the main cooling methods (air cooling and liquid immersion cooling), and one way to be more environmentally responsible is to use the most energy efficient cooling method suitable for the site. Overall, liquid cooling is more efficient than air cooling; and air cooling can be made more efficient any fully utilising the cooler air outside.
Server graveyard: Servers and equipment do not last forever and servers that are no longer required compose a huge problem of electronic waste. There is much that can be done to stop server graveyards filling up. One way is to make servers as upgradeable and fixable as possible, cutting down on the need for full replacements. Equipment can also be reused. Just because a server isn’t up to being in a data centre doesn’t mean that it is of no use. Small businesses, schools, charities, or community group might be interested in older equipment. For anything that is truly unusable it is vitally important that it is correctly recycled at specialist centres.

Data centres in hot and arid climates

Many of the data centres we have looked at are in areas with hotter daytime climates, such as Arizona or Nevada. Data centres need to be near users. So what can you do if you have to locate a data centre in a hot and arid region?

Go for natural cooling: Where possible utilise the cooler night air in a design that incorporates as much outside air as possible for free cooling or direct evaporative cooling. Using natural cooling methods can reduce the water usage and energy consumption needed to power the data centre. Working with your environment as much as possible is always best.
Renewable: Working with the environment in a hot and arid climate will mean lots of solar panels. Solar power is the best choice, and depending on the specific area, wind power. These will go a long way towards reducing your carbon footprint. Dry and arid regions will probably be under strain from water usage, so cooling methods that do not place undue strain on the water table are positive.
Be efficient inside: Inside a data centre there are things that can be done to minimise energy strain. Using methods of bringing the cool air in and removing the hot air efficiently by the use of hot and cold aisle containment should be investigated and implemented.
Water: In hot and arid areas it is particularly vital that water usage is monitored and minimised. Closed-loop cooling systems, where water is reused in the cooling process, can be helpful here. Data centres can cover a vast area, so rain water collection can help to take the strain off in a small way. However, as expected, arid and hot areas aren’t known for large amounts of annual rainfall, but everything helps.
Planning: Your data centre might grow and expand over time, so have a plan in place of how you will scale things up in the most energy efficient way.

What about going underground?

There is something intriguing about anything underground that sparks our curiosity about secret bases and lairs. However, going underground is an interesting option for locating a data centre. In a hot and arid area building underground could be a very good option as underground will likely be cooler and have a more consistent level of temperate and humidity.

For the safety planners, going underground can provide a data centre that is easier to secure and is insulated away from natural disasters such as wildfires or extreme weather.

In fact, some data centres have already moved underground, including one used by Microsoft (https://www.datacenters.com/bluebird-network-bluebird-underground). This is located 85 feet deep in a repurposed limestone mine in Missouri where it takes advantage of the constant temperature to reduce energy usage.

In Sweden, the Bahnhof Pinne data centre is in an old nuclear bunker deep underground. Here it uses a combination of water-cooled systems and free-cooling to reduce energy impact.

There are however drawbacks to locating a data centre underground. As we have seen from our examples data centres are being located in unused pre-built underground spaces. Creating a new purpose-built underground anything is a huge financial and logistical challenge (think how much of a delayed headache the Crossrail scheme in London was). Further, locating a data centre underground can make access and maintenance more of a challenge. This can be overcome by future proofing and planning at the initial stages. Ventilation and air quality are also areas that need extra consideration.

Final thoughts

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