SERVERFARM
more sustainable in the short term . Also , at the grid level Renewable Energy Certificates ( RECs ) are proven guarantees of origin of the power sources being used by data centres . As transition of the energy sector eventually leads to greener grids and carbon free power generation , such purchasing arrangements and RECs are welcome across the sector .
But Papouchado also identifies how data centre operators can be drivers of sustainability today . Serverfarm is fully aligned with the hyperscalers ’ well-publicised commitments to sustainability ( such as becoming carbon negative , and 100 % renewable energy driven ) and knows that requires lease partners in the commercial colocation space to provide practical engineering solutions .
Papouchado believes that every effort must continue to be made to reduce carbon and to use power more effectively to meet surging demand with the lowest possible environmental impact . It is inside data centres operated by Serverfarm where smart engineering is driving down carbon emissions and driving up energy efficiency . PUE , or Power Usage Effectiveness , is the best known metric in the industry ( among others such as Water Usage Effectiveness ( WUE ) and Carbon Usage Effectiveness ( CUE ). Today ’ s modern facilities are operating at a PUE 1.2 , and , in some cases , even lower .
“ It used to be that everybody had Office suites and apps in their closet , running a PUE of 3.0 . Now , Microsoft , for example , has moved Office to Azure , running at a PUE 1.2 , and that ’ s an example of a huge driver of sustainability to the world .”
Serverfarm works closely with cloud providers on the hard work of continually finding practical ways to ensure its data centres run at ( or better than ) operating efficiency levels expected by the hyperscalers across every metric .
As Papouchado concludes , the data centre industry should be seen as a positive when it comes to sustainability . “ It ’ s actually good that the data centre industry uses electricity wisely and responsibly ,” he says . “ We can buy bulk sustainable energy and make it affordable . Data centres are really good for the world and , together as an industry , we have to advertise that .”
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