“Everyone wants green energy, but no one wants a wind turbine in their backyard”
“The resistance that data centers seemed to have for a long time against government interference is not justified. The government's attention to this sector is actually just a compliment: the government has come to recognize the importance of data centers and the digital infrastructure of our country. That also includes regulation.” These are the words of Robbert Hoeffnagel, chairman of the day IT Infra & Telecom Infra event on December 1 in the 1931 conference center in 's-Hertogenbosch. Hoeffnagel has been involved in the sector since 1989, first as editor-in-chief of various IT magazines, later as a board member, advisor and independent publicist. He has a strong opinion about making the IT infrastructure more sustainable and the added value of data centers for the Dutch economy.
“Data centers are often negative in the news: they guzzle energy, pollute the environment and look ugly. But the downside is that they provide thousands of jobs and play a crucial role in our society and economy. Everyone is dependent on data centers and telecommunications. The gentleman who files a complaint with his municipality about plans for a new data center sends his objection via a computer connected to a data center. That is why I am pleased that the government now also designates data centers as a business-critical industry that we simply cannot do without.”
Problems with Google
According to Hoeffnagel, many problems arise from inadequate information provision and mutual misunderstanding. “Everyone wants green energy, but no one wants a wind turbine in their own backyard. In Germany, hyperscaler was recently pulled back because the local community was concerned that the data center would use so much water that there would be nothing left enough for them. This data center company apparently had not been able to demonstrate how many benefits a data center has for the local economy and that it is indeed possible to design a data center sustainably. A missed opportunity."
Resistance
Data centers themselves are also to blame for the resistance in society, because they have not communicated sufficiently for a long time, while the information they provided was often biased and did not address the questions and concerns that (local) governments and citizens often had and still have. , says Hoeffnagel. “As a sector, it is crucial that you put yourself in the target group's shoes. Whether that is a potential client or a municipality that has to issue a permit. Or a local political party that views the arrival of a data center with suspicion. If they do not understand you or do not understand why a certain expansion or new construction is necessary in that location, then you can say that 'that official' or 'that local politician' does not understand anything - comments that I have literally heard made - but it could also be that you have not properly explained the benefits and impact of the arrival of a data center.”
“We have also seen this with regard to sustainability for a long time,” Hoeffnagel continues. “While technical solutions and methods have long been available to reduce the environmental impact of data centers, the subject received far too little attention for a long time. For a long time, it was probably mainly seen as costs that people would rather not incur. To give an example: in many data centers, cooling installations are still cleaned and cleared of biofilms with chemical products that are then discharged. While there are certainly resources on the market to do this in a way that has much less impact on the environment.”
This in itself is understandable, says Hoeffnagel. Many data centers and their customers – hosting companies, IT departments – focus primarily on availability. The applications that 'run' in the data center must always be available and in accordance with the SLA. Changes then quickly become risks that can endanger availability. Yet, as a sector that is so important, you cannot avoid looking at other topics as well. Like sustainability. The challenge then is that as a sector you develop sufficient knowledge about sustainability. I still wonder why there is no knowledge and expertise center in our country for making data centers and ICT more sustainable.”
New consciousness
“We now see – fortunately – that more attention has been paid to sustainability. Data centers finally seem to see the (also financial) benefits of a greener policy. Cooling costs electricity, but it also produces residual heat that you can reuse or sell, which generates money. There are now even data centers that consciously present themselves as 'green'. They show that it is possible. Unfortunately, we often see that data centers are seen as islands, while they can of course also be part of a chain. Nowadays, reuse of residual heat is often not possible because there are no potential customers in the area or because those customers need higher temperatures. By looking more closely at location requirements and taking into account the possibilities offered by the local environment in the design, we can look at these types of partnerships much better. If data centers indeed want to provide more energy services – residual heat, but also collaboration with network operators, for example – then we will have to look at the location conditions differently.”
Hoeffnagel is happy with the progress in the environmental field, although in his opinion it is not happening fast enough. “I have some 'activist' tendencies when it comes to making the sector more sustainable. Call it inspiration. And I'm not alone in that. At the IT Infra and Telecom Infra event, the industry also wants to inspire and show that availability of services, healthy business and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive, but can actually reinforce each other. But then we have to look at smart and innovative ways of working. That's why we have, for example Dirk Harryvan from Certios invited as plenary speaker. He will demonstrate how energy consumption in ICT can be reduced by using the Server Idle Coefficient (SIC) and the Data Center Idle Coefficient (DcIC). These are coefficients with which you can calculate the potential for energy savings in server equipment.”
The Netherlands top position
But it's not just about sustainability during the event. The IT and telecom sectors are doing very well and that can be said, according to Hoeffnagel. “The Netherlands is among the world's best when it comes to data centers. That is a great achievement for such a small country and of course we want to maintain that position.”
The popularity of the Netherlands as a very successful 'data center country' is easily explained, according to Hoeffnagel. “Just look at the excellent cable connections with the rest of the world.” But there is a danger lurking and that is where the second plenary speaker, Andrew van der Haar of the Fiber Carrier Association, talked about during his presentation. Hoeffnagel: “As a country we have started to lean back a bit. We are now hearing warnings from several sources that other countries are investing a lot of (government) money in establishing sea cables for data traffic. These countries are therefore increasingly positioning themselves as serious competitors for our country. We really have to be careful not to lose our top position. That is why I am happy that Van der Haar is coming to speak about the connectivity of the Netherlands. In other words: how can we as a country maintain and even improve our competitive position?”
Better education and information
Another theme that will be discussed during the event has to do with cooperation between data centers, supplying companies and the government. “Companies sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. The industry has to deal with several ministries, not to mention the interests of provinces and municipalities. Add to this that the world looks very different from – say – a municipal official than from a data center that 'just needs' a permit for new construction or expansion. I regularly hear stories of permit applications that are rejected or permits that take forever to arrive. I don't know whether this is because the officials involved "don't understand it" - a complaint I regularly hear - or because the application was not sufficiently substantiated. But it seems clear to me that there is still much room for improvement in communication between the sector and government. And that starts with more and better understanding of each other's position and interests. Especially if, as a data center, we also want to work with residual heat. Then there will soon be more people and parties involved and we will really have to learn to understand each other better.” This topic will be discussed extensively during the IT Infra and Telecom Infra event panel discussion.
Green Deal 
Conversely, the business community also needs to be better informed about government processes and how they can best apply for a permit, Hoeffnagel believes. “We not only have to deal with rules and laws from the Netherlands, which is complex enough, but also with tightened environmental legislation from the European Union, for example through the so-called 'Green Deal'. According to this 'deal', all of Europe must be climate neutral by 2050. An enormous challenge, especially for the IT and telecom sector.”
The increasing involvement of the EU and local authorities is causing resistance among entrepreneurs. Hoeffnagel: “Environmental services are checking more and more often and want to know more. It takes time and money to provide all this information and companies are not happy with that. But they do have to cooperate, that's what they are obliged to do. So there is only one thing to do: data centers and telecom companies must adapt their business operations. There is an obligation to provide information, so make sure you comply with it as best as possible and that you are prepared. And if you do record all kinds of environmentally related information, what else can you do with it in your business operations? Therefore, do not see the government as an enemy, but stand together for sustainability and innovation. Only in this way will the Netherlands retain its top position within the world of IT and telecom. Hence my plea for an expertise center where knowledge and experience in this area can be bundled.”
Register for free
Has your curiosity been aroused and would you like to know more about the latest developments within the IT and Telecom infrastructure sectors? Then come to the event on December 1 in Den Bosch.
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