New carbon calculator to assess data centres’ environmental impact

Schneider Electric™, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, unveiled a new framework to help companies understand the full environmental impact of enterprise data centers, including using a carbon calculator.  The framework, detailed in a whitepaper available for download here, includes a free Lifecycle CO2e TradeOff tool, the first of its kind for accurately estimating the total carbon footprint of data centers – including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.    

New carbon calculator to assess data centres’ environmental impact

By quantifying Scope 3 emissions from their value chain, organizations can measure their total carbon footprint, including outsourced IT services from cloud and colocation service providers. This Schneider Electric whitepaper takes a data-driven approach to helping data center operators identify and categorize emissions from operations and the supply chain, then prioritize efforts to make impactful carbon reductions. 

As the US and EU are proposing rules to mandate, enhance, and standardize climate-related disclosures, accounting for and reporting on Scope 3 emissions will become a future requirement. Establishing and implementing a GHG framework that incorporates carbon counting and target setting while systematically reviewing company data and emission sources, is the foundation to creating an achievable reduction plan. Electricity generation, GHG emissions, and water consumption determine the carbon footprint and water footprint of data centers, including that of its suppliers. 

“Developing a climate strategy that identifies the biggest source of carbon emissions in the value chain is fast becoming a data center industry priority alongside the urgency to establish easy-to-use frameworks. We are 100 percent behind the drive for the industry to become the most sustainable in the world by making resources free and readily available,” said Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric.

“We have shared our latest whitepaper, and our free Lifecycle CO2 calculator, at a time when data center operators are increasingly trying to understand their carbon footprint. Proactive data center operators understand they will be held accountable for achieving net-zero climate goals in the future to meet the expectations of their stakeholders, including customers, investors, employees, business partners and communities up and down the value chain.” 

Highlights of the whitepaper include:

• A “Data Center Lifecycle CO2e Calculator” to quantify the details driving Scope 3 in an enterprise data center like embodied and sub-system embodied carbon.
• An approach to managing a hypothetical 1-megawatt data center with a focus on Scope 3 emissions and proposed actions for improvements like purchasing efficient and low carbon products.
• Advice on standardized metrics and what to measure like fuel and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution.

About Schneider Electric
Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values. 

www.se.com

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