The Business Case for Data Centre Sustainability

November 2015

“Businesses often have a genuine principled commitment to ethical behaviour, but the evidence suggests it only when change is profitable and in line with market reward that they shift behaviour on a significant scale” Paul Gilding

Robert Tozer www.dc-oi.com

Social

EconomicEnvironment

Equitable

Sustainable

Viable

Bearable

OI blend consultancy & learning

1°C 2°C 3°C 4°C 5°C 6°C

Gulf stream switches off,

Europe ice cold Island nations

submerge US High Plains

dessert

Severe summer heat waves

Coastal cities flood risk Drought

Mediterranean basin

California drought

Botswana dessert

Permanent Niño world weather chaos, Amazon

drought

World net food deficit

Sea level +5m, millions refugees Spain, Portugal

desserts, refugees to

North Europe Water supply

shortage

Civilisation collapses

Mass extinction

“Certainty of business as

usual”

IPCC Target 2°C“Polluter pays”?

Superstorm Sandy $65b Hurricane Irene $10b

Global Warming by 2100

“Dramatic action to avert a collapse of civilisation. Either we change, or it will be changed for us” Naomi Klein

The era of procrastination is over

Economic and Climate System Collapse, 30 yrs?

SUB-COMPONENTS PRODUCT USETRANSPORT TRANSPORT END-OF-LIFE

MATERIALS and ENERGY

Each sub-component has

been manufactured and created emissions.

Combining the components

requires more materials and energy which create further

emissions.

The product is transported to the user which requires

materials and energy which

creates further emissions.

The product is then used, during which time electricity is used to charge it and components

replaced requiring materials and energy which create further

emissions.

The product is transported to a waste facility. Transporting

requires materials and energy which

create further emissions.

The product is decommissioned and disposed of which requires materials and energy which

creates further emissions.

EMISSIONS EMISSIONS EMISSIONS EMISSIONS EMISSIONS EMISSIONS

OperationalEmbodied Impact Embodied Impact

Life Cycle Assessment

Based on PhD Thesis by Dr Beth Whitehead

Data Centre LCA – UK, free cooling

Energy Mix

Energy Consumption

Equipment

Main Contributors to Impact on AoPs

Areas of Protection: - Human Health - Ecosystem Quality - Resource Depletion - Climate ChangeIT (Shah & Whitehead) Facilities M&E (Shah)

Scenario 1 - BASELINE

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Data Centre LCA: Scenario Case Studies

>4 xOperational Embodied

of1/2Operational Embodied

Operational Embodied=

UK, free cooling, 3yr server refresh, fully populated with servers that use 50% peak power to idle and 30% utilised

• Swedish energy, • reduced energy consumption (consolidation,

virtualisation) • increased servers

• UK energy, • reduced energy consumption, • increased servers

IT • Rationalis

e • Consolida

te • Virtualise

Air Management • Minimise

• Bypass • Recircul

ation

Mechanical • Increase

set points • Reduce

fan volume

• Optimise clg (fc), hum

Electrical • Efficient

• UPS • Lights

EU Code of Conduct (IT) – New IT equipment

• Electrical efficiency • Temperature &

humid • Air direction • Reporting facilities

– New IT Services • Virtualisation • Resilience • Software efficiency

– Existing IT eq & services • Audits • Decommissioning

– Data Management • Policy

IT

M&E

Data Centre Energy Reduction Strategy

= 0

• Air management (containment) • CRAH fans with Variable Speed • Increased temperature set points • Free cooling (economiser cycle) • UPS more efficient

From PUE = 2 to PUE = 1.2

“I love that smell of the emissions” Sarah Palin, 2011

World CO2 Emissions

And carbon sequestration post 2100 - Chemical pumps - Trees - Accelerated

weathering of rocks - Ocean nourishment

By 2100: World 100% Renewable Energy

Clicking Clean (Greenpeace)

WHY?

• Brand • Cost certainty

• Cost reduction (present, future) • Availability • External pressure, e.g. Greenpeace • Social Corporate Responsibility • Legislation • Grid Stability e.g. Geyser project, Green IT Amsterdam

Business Case for Renewables

Damage Category  

IT Eq Facilities Building

(Pt/kW IT/year)Climate Change 6.54E-01 3.16E-01 1.48E-03

Ecosystem quality 1.20E-01 6.23E-02 2.64E-04Human health 5.06E-01 2.70E-01 1.37E-03

Resources 7.42E-01 3.54E-01 1.26E-03

Total 2.02E+00 1.00E+00 4.37E-03

Ratio IT/Facil 2.0 (1.3 to 5.3)Ratio (IT+Facil)/Building 691 (400 to 1200)

BEAM (Building Environmental Assessment Methods) do not consider IT equipment and Facilities!

Shah & Whitehead

Embodied Impact of IT Equipment & Facilities

Equipment

IT equipment • Virtualisation • Consolidation • Rationalisation • Open compute • Open stack

Unused servers Low utilisation servers

M&E equipment • Zero Refrigeration • UPS batteries • Copper

• Scalability • Zero Refrigeration • UPS battery • Copper, Steel

Aluminium

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (Pt/kWIT/year)

• Utilisation • Virtualisation • Open source,

comp, stack

• Refresh rates • Printed Circuit

Boards

Energy Mix

Energy Use

Equipment Impact

Facilities M&E

IT

OPEXCAPEX Brand

• Renewables • Off grid • Grid • Site • CO2

“Green economy is poised to be the mother of all markets, the economic investment opportunity of a lifetime” Thomas Friedman

IT output per kWh input? Proxy Proposals Metrics

Green Grid

PUE

RobertTozer@dc-oi.com www.dc-oi.com www.linkedin.com/company/operational-intelligence-ltd @OI_Ltd

Operational Intelligence with Entel Chile were awarded the CIBSE Building Performance Training Programme Award

“The collaborative and hands on approach to training was commendable”

- Judges comment

Our programmes are accredited by CIBSE

Questions?