EYP and i3 collaborate on road to net zero

The recent announcement of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact by 25 leading data centre and cloud operators and 17 associations looks like it’s poised to usher in an era of sweeping sustainability reform throughout the industry.

Hot on the heels of last week’s announcement, engineering consultancy EYP Mission Critical Facilities and i3 Solutions have launched a collaborative project aimed at creating a roadmap for data centre operators looking to draw down their greenhouse gas emissions in order to reach net carbon zero by 2030. 

“As a major consumer of electricity and therefore a contributor to global emissions, the data centre sector faces the prospect of regulation to reduce its impact on the planet,” said Rick Einhorn, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at EYP. “I’m pleased to announce this initiative by EYP and i3 Solutions Group which brings together a respected team of data centre MEP design engineers and operational consultants to offer thought leadership in data centre emissions and carbon reduction, efficiency and sustainability.”

The new partnership will turn its expert teams towards the goals of creating a practical roadmap towards greenhouse gas reduction and the establishment of climate neutral data centres by 2030. 

The roadmap will reportedly focus on increasing the efficiency of new and existing facilities, as well as shifting focus towards natural gas and hydrogen power sources, as well as pushing for lower emissions trading opportunities for large data centres; the ongoing purchase of carbon credits that allow companies to report lower emissions in exchange for investment in green energy initiatives has been widely criticised in recent years, as operators claiming to be “carbon neutral” are just pushing the problem down the road with a small slice of their profits. 

Ed Ansett, Founder and Chairman of i3 Solutions Group said in a company press release that, “While the future of data centre sustainability undoubtedly has a 100% renewable face, we are a long way from that end point. However, there are opportunities for large data centre operators in hyperscale, wholesale, colocation and other sectors to engage in greenhouse gas abatement. This requires a paradigm shift, but the good news is, we can evolve from a greenhouse gas intensive, inefficient infrastructure to a reduced or even net-zero greenhouse gas asset with new revenue generating opportunities. For that to happen requires the inspiration of specialist data centre design and strategy.”