Just as climate change threatens the entire world, The responsibility to confront it falls on everyone as well, From organizations, governments and individuals. Today, the Government of Australia is finding new ways to help its citizens and institutions reduce their carbon footprint. The Carbon Exchange was established to incentivize business owners to participate in climate activities, It also launched an energy efficiency rating system for data centers.

Data centers are responsible for processing and storing the information citizens need for work, entertainment and communication. It receives intense government attention for two reasons: First, it is one of the largest consumers of energy, Some require more than 100 MW to operate, That’s enough to feed up to 80,000 homes in the United States, according to one report. Thus, It accounts for more than 2% of global electricity consumption. This puts it alongside the global aviation industry in the same place. The second reason, This has led to a remarkable growth in the number of such centres in several countries over the past decade.

For these growing centers to succeed in fulfilling their mission, You need a tremendous amount of energy, To highlight the challenge of reconciling data storage with the requirements of commitment to meet the challenge of climate change. For this reason, Governments around the world are exploring ways to make these centres environmentally friendly. Like the Singapore government, which suspended its establishment until it found the best way to contain its climate impact.

In Australia, The Ministry of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has begun helping organizations reduce their energy consumption. By creating a system named “Nippers”, It will make its centers more sustainable.

The system provides an indication of the operational energy efficiency and environmental impact of data centers in Australia. Organizations can use it to invite experts to assess the energy efficiency of all their facilities, including data centers. These assessments address the exact specifications of each center separately, This means the actual operational specifications of the facility, not its design, With a focus on energy consumption, Such as the amount used in computing, cooling and lighting work. Then The expert shall evaluate the enterprise, It gives it a ranking of one to 6 stars on the energy efficiency scale, It is a universally accepted measure, After clarifying the adjustable aspects and ways to achieve operational improvement, cost savings and energy consumption, To enable companies to improve environmental assets and win over discerning customers, As well as in comparing its performance with its peers across Australia.

The system adopts 3 different levels of classifications depending on the needs. In the foreground, IT equipment comes to represent a classification dedicated to organizations that own or manage their own equipment such as servers, storage devices and network equipment, It does not control support services such as air conditioning, lighting and security. In this case, The classification measures emissions associated with technical equipment only, To familiarize the organization with the efficiency of its devices. Thus, The lower the energy consumption, the lower the Increased efficiency, The rating improved.

Then comes the infrastructure, It is a classification directed to data center owners and managers. Unlike the first type, This classification meets the needs of co-location centres, Where the operators do not control any of the rented IT equipment, But they are responsible for air conditioning and power delivery systems.

The third and most comprehensive classification is the classification of the entire establishment, which brings together its predecessors, It is designed for organizations that manage and operate their data centers, Or where the internal measurement system does not allow classifications of IT equipment and infrastructure to be made separately.

Whereas Australia encourages citizens and organizations to strive for sustainability in all walks of life, The government has set up a fund that incentivizes companies to reduce their carbon footprint. By giving them so-called “carbon credits” whenever they succeed in reducing their emissions by a ton. On this basis, Holders of credits can sell them back to the government or other companies, Within a framework similar to online stock market operations. The project, named the Australian Carbon Exchange, will buy, liquidate and settle carbon credits with any other units and certificates of credit. The fund also rewards companies when they adopt new technology to reduce emissions, for example. Credits are awarded to organizations that prove carbon storage.

Whereas, in the 2020 budget, the federal government has set a target to streamline private sector actions to support emissions reductions, Its actions will include the half-time shortening of the development of new methodologies for the Emission Reduction Fund as well as the period for evaluating applications for the registration of new projects and the issuance of carbon credits. This is to speed up the process.

The ministry is currently studying sustainability initiatives that help business and home owners change their lifestyle and adopt a new, more energy-efficient pattern.

When a data center rating rises from 3 to 5 stars, This means that it has managed to save about $1.5 million annually. This is according to the official website of the classification system. This positive assessment and its participation also gives organizations credible assurance on energy efficiency and environmental commitments.

In turn, The Carbon Exchange will support industries and the economy by increasing transparency in pricing, Shorten routine procedures; It will also facilitate trading, It supports the growing demand of companies, and promote growth in the active carbon market, and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the federal budget, It is estimated that it will save up to $100 million in transaction costs associated with the carbon exchange by 2030.

Through valuation and carbon exchange, Organizations can make more informed decisions about energy consumption and carbon footprint, This will gradually reduce the climate impact.

References:

• https://govinsider.asia/sustainability/how-australia-is-decarbonising-its-data-centres-department-of-industry-science-energy-resources/
• https://www.nabers.gov.au/ratings/spaces-we-rate/data-centres
• http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Infohub/Markets/australian-carbon-exchange