Data Center Life Cycle Analysis Christophe Garnier EMEA Technical Work Group Member Schneider Electric V3
The 3 Pillars of Sustainability Sustainability = meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet (Brundtland Report, 1987) This study focuses on environmental aspects only
Life Cycle Assessment International Reference ISO 14040: 2006 Environmental management - life cycle assessment principles and framework IEC is developing environmental standards on components of data centers, starting with UPSs
Life Cycle Assessment Principles Complete life cycle + all environmental impacts Product life cycle Manufacturing Transport Use Maintenance End of life Environmental impacts Raw material Air Water Energy Global Warming (CO2) Ozone Toxic Waste Substances Recycling Biodiversity Noise
Life Cycle Assessment Principles Avoid pollution shift: be careful of shifts from one environmental impact category to another Energy Hazardous substances Waste What is the global environmental benefit if you (1) reduce energy consumption (2) and increase hazardous substances and waste?
Existing Methodologies: Various Scopes, Goals, Organizations Environmental impacts Single impact: GHG Protocol Data Centre Chapter Multi impacts: ISO 14040 Life Cycle Analysis Product life cycle phase Sometimes only use phase is considered Product scope All products in scope of ISO 14040 Data Center chapter in GHG Protocol Geographical scope WW ISO, IEC, ITU Europe EU methodology, Singapore SS564 No visible activity in US and Asia for the moment Product, organization, or service? Data center can be considered as a product, an organization, or a service Focused on reduction Calculate progress, and not current number Standards or consortia IEC, ISO, ITU, GHG Protocol, TGG TC207 TC111 SG5
Objectives of The Green Grid Study Give framework and rules for conducting studies on environmental aspects of data centers Not to calculate numbers Make proposals for next studies Anticipate future developments in this area Give The Green Grid a vision in the environmental field
Life Cycle Assessment Principles LCA is defined in ISO 14040 Life cycle assessment, Principles and framework, Oct 2006 Major points for compliance with 14040 System boundaries: What is in/out the study Functional unit: Unit of reference Life cycle perspective: Consider complete life cycle Comprehensiveness: All aspects of natural environment, human health and resources
System Boundaries Set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of a product system (ISO 14040) Description of what is IN and OUT of the data center There is no unique definition of a data center. Each study can have its own boundaries but must be clearly defined Required to compare, measure evolution, or aggregate data Use ratio when data center is part of a building with other functions
Functional Unit Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit (ISO 14040) What is measured in the data center? Calculation capacity, storage capacity, transactions per second, In which environment does the data center operate? System availability, geographical area
Life Cycle Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal (ISO 14040) Life Cycle Phases for a data center: Manufacturing and design of data center components Transportation Construction, installation and commissioning Use, maintenance, upgrade End of life
Comprehensiveness LCA considers all aspects of natural environment, human health and resources. By considering all aspects, potential trade-offs can be identified and assessed (ISO 14040) Environmental impacts Energy consumption Water usage / pollution Air pollution Carbon footprint Hazardous substances Waste Noise Biodiversity
Life Cycle Assessment Trend From single criteria to global assessment Manuf. / Constr. / Design Transp. Use / Commission Maintenance Raw material Air Water Energy End of life Manuf. / Constr. / Design Transp. Use / Commission Maintenance Raw material Air Water Energy Global Warming Ozone Toxic Waste Substances Recycling Biodiversity Noise End of life Global Warming Ozone Toxic Waste Substances Recycling Biodiversity Noise Manuf. / Constr. / Design Transp. Use / Commission Maintenance Raw material Air Water Energy Global Warming Ozone Toxic Waste Substances Recycling Biodiversity Noise End of life Manuf. / Constr. / Design Transp. Use / Commission Maintenance Raw material Air Water Energy Global Warming Ozone Toxic Waste Substances Recycling Biodiversity Noise End of life Many methodologies under development, none is really emerging
The Time Is Now! Opportunity for the data center industry We are in a proactive position to provide guidance and rules to legislative bodies Develop PCR Product Category Rules Benefits Harmonize assessments between methodologies Let the industry define the rules Allow comparison
The Green Grid Is the Key Player TC111 SG5 TC207
Questions?
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