Fibernet, a Spanish company dedicated to the design, supply, and integration of fiber optic transmission equipment, has embraced these objectives for years, successfully applying efficient environmental management criteria across all areas of the company.
A tangible example of this efficient environmental management policy is Fibernet's Data Center located in Tres Cantos (Madrid). Antonio Gorrachategui, director of Fibernet's Data Center business area, explains that "when it was built, one of the factors taken into account was energy efficiency and environmental impact." In accordance with the Ecodesign Directive (2005/32/EC EuP), Fibernet established a series of ecological requirements that it was obligated to meet in the design of its data center: compliance with the Power Usage Index (PUE), environmental impact assessment, evaluation of efficient equipment according to manufacturers, improvement of environmental performance, energy and water consumption, and energy growth based on demand. Gorrachategui adds that “Fibernet has an internal process control procedure through which the corresponding environmental controls, ISO 14001, and ITIL procedures are carried out.”
One of the key points of this policy has been the company's energy reduction strategy based on investing in fiber optics. Fibernet has created a product that consists of an intelligent solution for dynamic fiber allocation, eliminating copper. Antonio Gorrachategui explains that “in this way we dissipate heat and therefore reduce consumption.” Fibernet has worked with a university on a cooling model based on geothermal energy, using a special liquid flowed into the rack, which allows for energy savings. For new data centers, this system is easy to implement, although its feasibility will depend on their geographical location.