How do you combine growth and sustainability in data centers?

Data centers not only keep the digital world running, but also contribute to a green future. Ronald van den Bosch, CTO at NorthC Datacenters, explains during the IT Infra event in Den Bosch A keynote address on the golden marriage between growth and sustainability. He challenges his colleagues: "Do you truly have an eye for the future, or do you just want to comply with the rules?"

A successful sustainability plan always starts with the "why" question, says Van den Bosch. "It's important to have a long-term vision, because that allows you to make the right decisions. The obvious choice isn't always the best one."

He gives water cooling as an example. "At first glance, it seems like a sustainable solution, but it isn't always. Drinking water is becoming scarcer worldwide – even in the Netherlands. Sometimes it turns out that water cooling has a greater environmental impact than a dry cooling system. This depends on several factors that must be carefully considered. NorthC ultimately opted to design new cooling systems without using water."

Get it right straight away
The CTO notes that new legislation sometimes puts pressure on companies to act quickly. "We recommend first conducting a structured assessment of what's truly necessary. This prevents you from having to make adjustments later and saves time and money. Once things are moving, it's hard to stop. Therefore, take your time during the design phase. That's where you lay the foundation for a workable sustainability plan. You might have a good idea, but you also need to get people on board and create support. If you're still at the beginning of the process, you're more likely to succeed."

Thinking about the entire life cycle
A good sustainability plan considers all phases of a data center's lifecycle: from the initial concept to the building's demolition. Sustainability plays a role in every phase. You need to consider multiple aspects in your considerations: business needs, availability, functionality, finances, and so on.

Missed opportunity
In practice, companies place too much emphasis on the financial aspect, Van den Bosch believes. "A missed opportunity, because it causes you to lose sight of the broader perspective. Take CO₂ emission reduction: you can't simply put a price tag on that. Purchasing green wind and solar power reduces emissions, but that's not enough. Most data centers use backup generators that run on diesel. Those also generate emissions. How do you reduce those? Do you choose biofuels or HVO100, and why?"

CO₂ reduction through hydrogen
"Anyone aiming for a 100% CO₂ reduction will quickly arrive at green hydrogen. While promising, it's also complex, as some of the technology and infrastructure are still under development. Factors beyond your control also play a role. For example, the national hydrogen network was supposed to be ready by the end of the 2020s, but its completion has been postponed until the early 2030s. This also pushes up our scaling. This is challenging, because as a data center, we ideally want to be able to guarantee 24-hour on-site fuel availability to bridge grid outages. Sometimes it's more realistic to accept that this goal is temporarily unattainable, and in the meantime, work on the best possible interim solutions," says Van den Bosch.

Stakeholders
What makes it extra complex are the many stakeholders involved in a project. “It's not just the data center and the customer. You have to deal with colleagues, suppliers, investors, and the government. All these parties have their own objectives and expectations. That's why it's important to document your considerations in a plan. This clarifies your final choice and helps you get people on board more quickly.”

From good idea to measurable plan
"I see that some companies are 'weary of sustainability' because the narrative is too tied to laws and regulations," Van den Bosch continues. "We 'have to' prepare an ESG report, so therefore CO₂ emissions 'must' be reduced. I hope to rekindle the audience's enthusiasm for making data centers more sustainable during my presentation. Growth and sustainability aren't mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand."

Return on sustainability
"There is no ready-made solution that applies to all data centers, and there never will be," emphasizes the CTO. "That's why we use a model at NorthC to make the decision-making process transparent. We link each aspect to a figure, and that's how you discover what the best choice is in the end. I jokingly call that 'the return on sustainability'By quantifying sustainability, the ideas you formulate in the initial phase become concrete and measurable. This provides a solid foundation for a future-proof sustainability plan that works.

Register for the event
Interested in learning more about NorthC's strategies and sparring with NorthC CTO Ronald van den Bosch? You're very welcome to attend the IT Infra event on November 26th in 's-Hertogenbosch. More information and registration.