Assessing the business case for data centre relocations

The data collected from the UBC data centre project was used as the basis for creating a hypothetical research-intensive data centre and the corresponding data centre relocation scenarios. [...] Yet consideration also needs to be given to RESULTING GHG EMISSIONS DO other aspects of the data centre’s life such as the construction and NOT PROVIDE A COMPLETE renewal phases, as well as the decommissioning of the building and PICTURE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL any equipment. [...] Included in this assessment are the energy requirements to extract and manufacture any raw materials, the energy required to transport the materials and construct the building, and the energy requirements to tear down and dispose of any materials during the decommissioning phase. [...] The life cycle assessment (LCA) takes a holistic view of the GHG emissions of a given project, and measures GHG emissions for the entire life of the data centre, from materials use, construction, through to its end use. [...] For all scenarios the annual compound rate of 7 percent has been used, equivalent to the growth rate published in Smart 2020, a report produced by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.10 The US EPA also published growth trends for data centres in the US, indicating that the compound annual growth rate for data centres for the 10 years ending in 2010 is 11 percent.11 The lower number of 7 percent