Data centers are increasing their energy consumption, and this is becoming a problem. Many of the developed countries where there are a lot of data centers, are becoming worried they may end up in an energy crisis because there might not be enough electricity to cover all users.
Data center operators are also very aware of this. They don’t want something like this to endanger their business and operations, so they are exploring many other possibilities and innovations in various areas of energy and sustainability. Their main goals are to lower energy consumption as much as possible and slowly transition to fully sustainable electricity to become carbon neutral and sometimes even negative. That would mean they actively help reduce the CO2 emissions in the regions.
But it’s not easy. There are a lot of challenges and new technologies are increasing the “hunger” for more power. One of them is AI (artificial intelligence). It has proven to be so energy intensive that it caught even a big name like Google a bit by surprise.
According to Google’s latest sustainability report, the company’s carbon emissions have risen by 48% since 2019, and this rate has been accelerating and increasing over the past couple of years. The main source of emissions for Google is their supply chain with 75% of the total amount. The remaining 25% is the company’s own electricity needs – the majority of which are data centers. And Google’s data center energy consumption has been rising and drove emissions up by 37% year on year for 2023.
The company is saying that it remains committed to its 2030 goal to be carbon neutral. It says that before this happens emissions will rise a bit more before starting to decline. Google admits that it has been very “complex and difficult to predict” what the environmental impact of AI is and will be so going forward. Despite that Google is going forward with achieving 2030 goal and will invest in both clean energy projects, data center optimizations and green technologies. The IT giant feels there’s a “tremendous opportunity for climate solutions that are enabled by AI”.
Can AI actually help?
Most of the big players think it can. They feel there’s a lot of untapped potential and AI could transform the energy sector in multiple ways. Some of the possible effects will be for the entire grid. For example, AI could eventually make sure the grid is properly balanced, and handle power surges, drops, and could foresee possible issues and prevent them.
Other changes would be more local. AI could handle the data center resource management and consumption. By employing faster and smarter analysis and management, AI could improve the overall power usage, lower the costs, and up the efficiency. It could also help prevent malfunctions, will shorten downtime and will flag equipment that’s not performing up to expectations for possible issues with it to be fixed or replaced.
With that said, there are other possible ideas and innovations, too. AI is far from the only solution out there. It’s probably the last one coming along the pipeline. Data center operators, startups, and even regulators have been working on many more possible ideas. Let’s check some of them.
Heat removing and using it for homes
One way to offset data center emissions and lower overall energy consumption is by taking the vast amounts of heat these facilities produce and reroute it to heat buildings during the colder months of the year, for example office spaces or even residential homes. One of the drawbacks of this approach is that for it to work, the data center needs to be close to the buildings in question. Most data center operators prefer to build their facilities away from such areas.
Some companies are now starting to opt for the opposite option. Cryptocurrency mining firm, Marathon Digital Holdings, is one of them. It has started a pilot project in Finland to use the heat, generated from one of its data centers in the country to warm homes. The data center in question is a beefy one and uses 2MW in the Satakunta region. The company is going to try and provide heating for some of the 11,000 residents in the area.
Of course, that won’t be for free. Marathon will sell this service, but it’s not clear if this includes the pilot project or if it’s a long-term goal, DataCenterDynamics reports. The company says it has 760MW of mining capacity in total and sees selling recycled heat as a potential new revenue stream. Plus, it’s better for the environment and could help residents offset and lower their bills, too.
Heat reusing for other means
Heat is generally a byproduct of an energy intensive process. But it can also be a form of energy itself. For example, heating water to turn it into steam and power other machines, even generators. Thus, the heat a data center produces could help make more energy. Or it could be used for heat pumps which can take part in the cooling systems of a data center.
Heat reuse was often underestimated, says DataCenterFrontier. But with the pressing of even more strict regulations, ambitious sustainability goals and the constant search for cost optimizations, this idea becomes more appealing. It requires more forward thinking to make the most out of heat reusing ideas.
For example, using heated water for agricultural purposes like greenhouse temperature regulation is a good, predictable, and consistent supply of warm or hot water which makes it a nice alternative to geothermal energy. Another option is to use it to heat water for fish farms and swimming pools. These water bodies are usually heated up with gas boilers. Or the heat can be transferred and used for various manufacturing processes. One of them is for the manufacturing of wood pellets and help dry the pellets instead of using other heat sources. Think of the savings if data center heat is reused for so many various purposes that would normally not even be considered.
Carbon removal via soil
Some ideas are even more unusual in concept. For example, removing carbon via soil and improving agriculture. Yes, another agricultural project that’s possible thanks to data centers. It’s a great example of how the IT industry can and should help to improve other fields. So, Microsoft has signed a deal with Indigo Ag, DataCenterDynamics reports. This company specializes in carbon removal and sells credits to other businesses.
“Soil organic carbon restoration is vital to the future of food systems, economies, and climate change mitigation. We are pleased to collaborate with Indigo Ag to advance both the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices and the soil organic carbon scientific evidence base,” Brian Marrs, senior director of energy and carbon removal at Microsoft says.
Indigo Ag is already working in 14 countries around the world. It buys land and partners with farmers to grow crops. They have to employ special sustainable practices that help remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. The methods used help improve crop diversity and the farmers get paid for using sustainable practices along with enjoying the additional benefits of improved soil quality.
Technically this isn’t an IT solution, but it helps IT companies, including data center operators, offset their emissions, and investing in such projects is a key step in sustainability goals as it supports more innovations outside of the classic IT sphere.
Building in a sustainable way
Speaking of improving other industries for the benefit of IT, one very important niche is construction. Especially considering the fact that construction of new data centers is rampant right now. So, operators are trying to further lower their emissions and improve their sustainability efforts by employing new building techniques and using more “green” materials.
And there are eco-friendly innovations in all stages of construction. There’s now low-carbon concrete which is ideal for the foundations. There’s also recycled steel and plant-based designs. They change the typical boxy frames and beams for other forms which may seem more complex but are stronger. There are better insulation materials with higher efficiency and more recycled parts. Some are even completely derived from plants or animal byproducts like wool.
Construction innovations cover every detail, even roofing. The color and the material of the roof can have a big effect on the building’s temperature and could make it easier to keep it cool. Or, depending on the location, it might be a great place for solar panels.
Does the market even want this?
All these innovations and ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. But the question is does the market really want them and can it support them? On paper, yes, everyone is racing towards their sustainability goals and needs all the help they can get. However, in reality, a lot of sustainability projects are being cancelled.
In its sustainability report Google said that last year multiple such green energy projects were dropped, and the company had signed up to be their client and was expecting to get power from them. Instead, it was left with cancellation notices and had to search for electricity from regular sources, thus further driving up its emissions.
And last year Microsoft paid the Running Tide company to have 12,000 tons of CO2 removed from the open ocean over two years. Instead, now the company is shutting down as it says there wasn’t enough demand to keep the business afloat. “We did the thing. We grew oysters, we removed carbon, and we increased the world’s understanding of the ocean. Unfortunately, today we are beginning the process of shutting down Running Tide’s operations because we are unable to secure the right kind of financing to continue our work with the urgency it requires. Ultimately, the contraction in the voluntary carbon market meant that it was impossible to scale up, and without buyers beyond the Microsoft’s of the world, there wasn’t a way to get financing for continued R&D,” Running Tide said in a LinkedIn post announcing its closure.
So, yes, the market realities are such that a lot of those sustainability startups will fall. And that is a normal part of a maturing market, but it will take time until everything settles and there’s more stability, although it’s much needed as soon as possible.