Advancing sustainability in data centers: evaluation of hybrid air/liquid cooling schemes
1. Introduction: The sustainability challenge
Data centers underpin the global digital economy, yet their soaring energy consumption estimated at 460 TWh in 2022 and projected to exceed 1,000 TWh by 2026 presents a critical sustainability challenge. Data centers contribute approximately 1% of global energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with cooling systems alone consuming around 40% of total power.
As rack densities are projected to exceed 50 kW per rack by 2027 advanced cooling solutions are vital. Emerging technologies like direct-to-chip (DTC) and immersion cooling can reduce cooling energy use by 30–40%, lowering operational costs and environmental impact. Additionally, global regulations such as the EU Green Deal and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are enforcing stricter sustainability standards, pushing data centers toward greener operations.
2. Case study: Start Campus SINES data center
The Start Campus, SINES Data Center is a 1.2 GW hyperscale data center campus being built in Portugal. It is designed as Europe’s most sustainable data ecosystem, powered entirely by renewable energy. Its first phase, SIN01, will deliver 15 MW of IT capacity in 2024, scaling to 26 MW with liquid cooling.
By 2030, the full campus will host six buildings supporting up to 240 MW each. Key sustainability strategies at SINES DC include:
- Seawater cooling to achieve a low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1.
- A Liquid Cooling Lab (LCL) to test innovative cooling methods such as DTC and immersion cooling.
- Heat recovery potential for applications like district heating and industrial reuse.
3. Literature review and industry innovations
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