The European Commission has proposed a ‘common rating scheme’ for data centres operating across the European Union, aimed at increasing transparency about their energy and water use.
The scheme will apply to individual data centres with capacity above 500kW and will assess how data centres interact with electricity grids across the bloc, as well as their use of natural resources such as water, and contribution to increased carbon emissions.
The proposal comes as the EU plans to triple its data centre capacity over the next five to seven years as part of efforts to increase computing capacity and digital sovereignty.
Energy bills
“Tripling our data centre capacity cannot mean tripling the pressure on our grids, our water and our energy bills,” commented Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
“That starts with transparency, rating large data centres depending on their impact on our energy system. Efficient, flexible, powered by additional clean energy and reusing waste heat, this is how data centres become an asset for EU’s energy transition.”
In terms of waste heat, the Commission said that reusing around half of all waste heat generated by European data centres would be equivalent to the total heating demand of four million households in Europe.
Data centre contribution
The proposed rating system is also intended to show how data centres can contribute to the energy system. Facilities that can adjust their electricity consumption according to grid conditions could help integrate renewable energy and reduce pressure on the electricity system, while heat recovery and additional clean energy generation could provide further system benefits.
“To ensure that the digital transformation truly works for our society, we must address the growing energy demand of data centres,” commented Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing.
“Understanding their energy and resource consumption is the essential first step towards integrating them sustainably into our energy system. Digital sovereignty must go hand in hand with energy responsibility.” Read more here.
