What prompted your organization to join the Future of Internet Power (FoIP) program?

Vantage Data Centers recently committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions globally by 2030. We recognize that procuring renewable energy will be a key enabling strategy to reach our own sustainability goals, as well as those of our customers. We are taking a forward-looking approach to decarbonization by investing in the team, technology, and processes needed to actively reduce our carbon footprint across the design, construction, and operation of our data center campuses. 

We recognize that we cannot achieve our sustainability goals alone.  Organizations like CEBA help enable additional collaboration and networking among industry leaders so that we can partner together to solve problems and learn from each other.  The FoIP program offers valuable resources and opportunities for networking with our customers and peers to find solutions to address barriers to energy efficiency and renewable energy procurement. 

What are some of the biggest challenges when it comes to working with your customers to mutually pursue energy goals? 

While renewable energy projects are important to helping us reach our carbon goals, we can’t forget that the greenest kWh is the one you never use. We can design and build a high performance and energy efficient facility; however, we won’t see the full benefits of the design if we don’t follow best practices in the day-to-day operations. Getting the most out of our facilities requires a strong commitment to communication and teamwork to closely monitor the performance of our facility and resolve issues quickly to avoid wasted resources and keep equipment operating in optimal conditions. We partner with our customers to implement industry best management practices such as hot and cold aisle separation, elimination of bypass air, and optimizing tile management to reduce energy use. These are just a few examples of how we maintain the optimal power usage effectiveness (PUE) for the data modules in our facilities which helps us, and our customers, save energy to reach our goals. 

What does the future of customer engagement look like for your organization, in terms of energy management?

Vantage is excited to continue partnering with our customers to reach sustainability goals. Our newest commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 is in alignment with many of the sustainability objectives of our customers, and we are excited about the new opportunities that this provides.  Reducing the emissions associated with our industry will require a high level of engagement with our customers, utility partners, and our vendors to assess and implement new technologies and processes.  

Envision a future where every organization has a path to renewable energy – what is the next step towards a zero-carbon energy future?

The idea of a zero-carbon energy future is an exciting one, but it won’t be easy.  Achieving this goal will require a commitment to innovation, partnership, and continuous improvement from everyone in our industry.  Organizations need to continue to collaborate with utility partners to help manage and reduce demand while integrating large-scale storage solutions to back up renewable energy power production. These solutions will enable more reliable, carbon-free energy at all hours of the day. In addition to continued collaboration and support of renewable energy solutions, we should also work with local communities to develop solutions that support their sustainability initiatives. For example, in Zurich, Vantage Data Centers has designed our facilities with the ability to connect to district heating for municipal projects.  This would enable the redeployment of waste heat generated by our data centers to create a heating source for other buildings creating a valuable community resource. To reach our goals, we all will need to work together and learn from each other to develop and implement innovative solutions that will help us build the future we want to see. 

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Learn more about the CEBA FOIP program.