Data centers have become a key tool for digitalization worldwide. According to Statista, there are 141 data centers in Mexico alone, and the sector is projected to grow between 6 and 7.5% over the next five years.
 
These data centers have high electricity consumption; according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), they consume approximately 200 terawatts per hour, or about 1% of global electricity demand. This energy consumption and CO2 generation mean that data centers contribute an estimated 0.3% of the world's carbon footprint annually. 
 
The challenge of reducing the carbon footprint is particularly important considering that data centers operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They also require specific temperature and humidity conditions. Therefore, as data exchange increases, the volume of stored information grows, and the number of these facilities expands, energy consumption will also increase. 
 
 
How to achieve it?
 
“Reducing the carbon footprint requires changing energy supply sources, using renewable energy, and identifying equipment that consumes energy but serves no purpose, as is often the case in older data centers,” says Juan Pablo Borray, Business Development Manager for Latin America at Panduit.
 
To achieve this, a comprehensive evaluation of the data center's various systems is necessary, and, if needed, some of them should be replaced or upgraded. Elements to be reviewed include energy consumption, redundancy, and the level of virtualization of cooling systems. This last point is crucial because, according to the executive, cooling systems account for between 37% and 50% of a data center's operating costs. 
 
“Achieving sustainable operation in data centers starts from the construction phase. This requires the use of products designed with a lifecycle approach, taking the environment into account. This includes operational energy efficiency, end-of-life product management, and disposal considerations. To this end, solutions are needed whose design vision allows for the management and automation of systems,” says Vladimir Linares, Technical Systems Engineer at Panduit.
 
Approach and tools that make it possible
 
Faced with the challenge of meeting standards that guarantee maximum efficiency and minimum environmental impact, providers must work on developing Converged Infrastructure for data centers; the model must integrate different systems, which work and are managed independently (communication, computing, access control, energy and security), into the same physical infrastructure that converges intelligently. 
 
This model allows benefits such as: real-time information support, increased workplace safety; greater efficiency, satisfaction in regulatory compliance, reduced network costs, maximized performance, energy efficiency, and a reduced carbon footprint.
 
Some of the technological tools that allow these benefits to be achieved are:
• Hardware and software component suites for thermal risk management and energy savings in cooling.
• Solutions for remotely monitoring the status of the infrastructure.
• Applications that combine environmental and energy monitoring.
• Thermally efficient enclosures that allow for separation of hot and cold air.
 
The implementation of these technologies contributes to a reduction in cooling costs of between 10% and 30%; as well as energy savings of 25 to 30%.
 
It is clear that humanity has reached a point of no return in many ways. One of them is facing the challenges of sustainability and climate change with the support of technology. Since data centers are destined to be part of the solution, the time has come to select them not only for guaranteeing the availability and security of information, but also for demonstrating that they are environmentally friendly, concludes the Business Development Manager for Latin America at Panduit.