Innovation Procurement for Sustainable Data Centre Products and Services

The 3rd EURECA Workshop

Introduction of the EURECA project

EURECA project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 scheme. The project aims to provide public sector organisations with quantifiable information on the environmental impact of data centres and related procurement choices. 

Objectives

1.    to demonstrate the value of energy saving and environmental data centre best practices & policies, triggering related procurement actions;

2.    Provide public Sector organisations with a tailored solution for ‘green’ data centre procurement:

• Identifying where money and energy can be saved;
• Assisting with the deployment of self-improvement strategies;
• Assisting with the navigation of new technology markets with benchmarking tools & resources;
• Facilitating awareness, learning and knowledge sharing activities.

Background and issues

·         Data centres provide the core digital infrastructure and connectivity foundation for all Public Sector digital services;

·         Data centres are enablers of energy saving initiatives and e-services;

·         Data centres are large energy consumers and can easily waste a great deal, if not constantly reviewed and carefully monitored;

·         EU2020 targets demand energy efficiency and increased share of “green” energy, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions;

·         There is a general lack of awareness of reliable metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs) and best practices.