Data centers are at the center of today’s digital economy. In other words, data centers make the online world go round, especially in today’s context as more and more companies are considering remote working and virtual offices. As much as they are in demand today, data centers are also facing a serious threat; the threat of climate change.

Here are some important facts you need to know about climate change and data centers:

Along with emissions caused by automotive and aviation sectors, data centers also stand as a major culprit in global warming. A Nature report states that around 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity is consumed by data centers in one year, amounting to 1% of the global electricity demand.

Data centers are a contributing factor to global warming

Without a doubt, these numbers are expected to increase in the coming years with the expected increase in demand, putting an incredible strain on energy supplies and the environment.

According to Uptime Institute, the data center industry is not prepared for the possible effects of climate change. The impact of climate change not only includes the gradual increase in temperatures, but also the increased frequency of natural calamities and severe weather-related incidents such as storms, floods, droughts, and more.

Most data centers are not prepared for climate change

Each one of these is a threat to data centers, in terms of cooling efficiency, power shutdowns, equipment damage, and subsequent downtime. And many data centers are not prepared well enough to deal with these situations.

1. Go green: In order to minimize the effects of your data center on the environment, reduce your carbon footprint, choose modern energy-efficient equipment, and take steps to achieve a green data center.

How can your data center combat climate change?

2. Reduce cooling needs: Regulating airflow effectively and setting up hot/cold aisle containment can bring down your cooling needs and help conserve energy

3. Prepared for the worst: Acknowledge that every minute of downtime can be expensive, set up a detailed disaster recovery plan and simulate failure situations to increase resiliency as well as ensure uninterrupted service.

4. Consider co-lo: Finally, move your data to a colocation center if you are not equipped with the infrastructure and measures required to weather extreme climatic conditions.

Need help with taking energy-efficient measures or establishing a disaster preparedness/recovery plan? Get in touch with Hardy Racks for expert consultation!