FINAL WORD
The renewable energy compass : How to successfully pilot Europe ’ s data centre capacity crunch
Navigating the capacity limitations in Europe ’ s energy landscape is at the top of many data centre operators ’ agendas . The need to make sure that concrete plans are in place has never been more pressing , with uncertainty still rife about meeting capacity goals while managing costs and resilience . With the way forward still up for debate , Chris Rason , Managing Director – Energy Solutions Europe at Aggreko , shares his insights on how data centres can navigate the future of the industry while embracing both sustainability and efficiency .
In a continuously evolving world , we are only going to see the need for new data centres increase . But , with regulations becoming tighter , including the need for data centres to report to the European Union about energy and water use , many are looking for energy solutions that support growth while navigating these issues .
The on-going capacity issues in Europe have the potential to cause problems for those seeking to avoid potentially costly downtime , with the Uptime Institute ’ s Annual Outage Analysis 2024 detailing power as the leading cause of impactful incidents or outages among its respondents .
However , there is an opportunity to plan around these issues while still maintaining a high level of performance and efficiency through short-term and long-term solutions .
Looking at short-term solutions
One way of avoiding potential capacity and outage issues would be through accessing short-term temporary power solutions . With Europe ’ s under-strain power grids showing little signs of easing up , using shorter-term solutions can offer reliable and stable connections when traditional systems fail .
The costs of outages are high . Over half ( 54 %) of respondents to the Uptime Institute ’ s 2023 survey said their most recent significant , serious or severe outage
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