2 weeks Ago By Dan Robinson
When it comes to building datacenters, reducing the environmental impact of the project is still not seen as a major concern – it is lower on the list than cost of equipment and materials, skills shortages, a possible downturn in projects, and even bad weather. These findings come from research by energy solutions biz Aggreko , which surveyed 495 construction managers working in the datacenter sector across Europe. It found that extreme weather patterns were cited as the biggest concern, but this was just in front by a nose, with skills shortages and the cost of equipment and materials coming joint second.
That odd-sounding result can perhaps be explained by a separate survey question, which found that 37 percent of the respondents reported weather-related delays during the previous year that resulted in missed deadlines and financial penalties. However, 78 percent of respondents also agreed that sustainability is more important in business today when compared with three years ago; not surprising when there is now legislation such as the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Perhaps ironically , when asked how they measured the environmental impact of their projects, more managers said they used AI tools than anything else.
This was closely followed by remote monitoring, then lifecycle assessments and getting the relevant information from suppliers. Yet when it comes to using greener technologies in their operations, 34 percent said that reducing CO2 emissions was their primary reason for doing so, while 29 percent indicated it was to cut pollution from particulates and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Cost was cited as the major barrier to using such newer green technologies during datacenter construction, and respondents said this was due to a lack of product availability and knowledge in implementation, among other reasons.
Of the green technologies most likely to be considered for use, electric driven oil-free air compressors were cited by most, followed by battery energy storage systems (BESS), with future fuels such as hydrogen or biomethanol also under consideration. Turning to biofuels such as biodiesel or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), the latter of which is said to reduce emissions by up to 90 percent, the majority of construction managers said it was easy to access these. However only 41 percent indicated they actually used it, while 30 percent said they choose not to and another 9 percent claimed not to have equipment capable of running on it.
Meanwhile, 72 percent of datacenter builders said that gas-powered generation would play an important part in any plans they have to switch away from using diesel, with very few ruling out the use it. Weather seems to play a big part in the survey. While extreme weather was the top concern for construction managers, sleet and snow was said to pose the highest risk, followed by freezing temperatures and flooding, then extreme heat.
The respondents indicated that employee welfare was what concerned them most when it came to the effects of weather, closely followed by equipment breakdown, damage to build materials, and construction delays. "It is not a surprise to us that datacenter construction managers are finding it difficult to battle the challenges facing the industry," said Billy Durie, Aggreko global sector head for datacenters. "Combined with mounting pressure for more datacenter space, it seems that we are currently operating in a perfect storm.
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