BRIDGING THE GAP
CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS
“ Our responsibility is now to supply equipment that is more sustainable and expertise that helps make powering a data centre as efficient as possible ”
— Billy Durie , Aggreko
56 footprint . And , while generating energy on-site doesn ’ t automatically make a data centre more environmentally friendly , it gives it the opportunity to be so .”
He adds that , by making battery backup and on-site generated power more sustainable , data centre operators can simultaneously reduce their carbon footprint and become increasingly resistant to disruption . “ The prospect of relying heavily on renewable energy has traditionally been a cause of concern in the data centre community , where consistent power supply is a critical requirement . The main drawback of solar or wind power is that both are dependent on the weather , which is often intermittent ,” Marren explains , noting that combining renewables and on-site generation techniques with storage technology like a battery array can help overcome this hurdle .
BRIDGING THE GAP
Data centre energy management is growing steadily more sustainable , but transitioning the entire industry towards more environmentally friendly energy management practices is still going to be a big step . Durie notes that one of Aggreko ’ s main goals going into 2021 is helping data centre operators bridge that gap , as power grids , renewable energy adoption and mandated carbon reduction goals all continue to impact the industry . As
DECEMBER 2020