A Holistic Approach to Addressing Environmental Sustainability in Data Centers

The exponential growth in data centres, driven by increasing demands for data storage and processing, has led to significant environmental concerns. Data centres are estimated to consume between 2% and 4% of the world's electricity, highlighting the urgent need for effective sustainability assessment methods. While various approaches, best practices, and key performance indicators (KPIs) have been proposed to address this issue, a comprehensive assessment approach tailored specifically for data centres remains lacking. Existing schemes such as LEED and BREEAM, initially designed for the building construction industry, are being increasingly adopted by data centres. However, these schemes primarily focus on building aspects, with insufficient emphasis on mechanical, electrical, and IT components.

This research comprehensively analyses the LEED certification scheme, one of the most widely used sustainability assessment frameworks. It investigates the attainment patterns and growth trends of data centres pursuing LEED certification, evaluates their performance in achieving LEED credits, and identifies the gaps and limitations of the current framework when applied to data centres. The study reveals that many LEED credits are attained based on ease and cost rather than substantial environmental savings, contributing to potential greenwashing.

By applying the proposed model to several case studies of data centres of varying sizes and locations, the research demonstrates that energy credits, particularly those related to renewable energy, contribute significantly to overall savings. However, the findings also indicate that each data centre's unique characteristics lead to different savings contributions, underscoring the inadequacy of a uniform approach.

The results highlight the need for a more tailored LEED certification framework that better reflects data centres' actual environmental impact and operational requirements. The proposed categorised scoring scheme or weighted approach offers a more accurate sustainability assessment. When applied to currently certified datacentres, this new scheme better aligns with actual savings and environmental impact, promoting genuine sustainability in the data centre industry.

This research provides valuable insights for stakeholders, including data centre operators, sustainability consultants, and policymakers, enabling them to implement more effective sustainability practices and develop more accurate policies and standards.