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water consumption to the minimum amount required to meet customer usage .
“ In addition to our focus on energy and water , we have also adopted a factory-first approach to our construction process , where we build as much as we can in a factory . The modules are then delivered like a flat pack IKEA set , so all we have to do is prepare foundations for columns , which are steel , and the ground floor slab , we are then good to go . It saves time , energy and doesn ’ t impact quality .
“ The process minimises adverse weather impacts and makes the construction process safer , because much of the work is carried out at ground level , rather than on the second or third floor for example . Everything is constructed and delivered in sequence and because we ’ re minimising the concrete elements , we immediately reduce our embedded carbon impact and increase our ability to recycle at end-of-life .”
Asking the right questions
According to Pip , data centres are receiving bad raps , and he is on a mission to change that mentality . “ Over the last ten years , as a sector , we have taken huge steps to make our systems much more efficient . Our cooling systems have gone from taking up to 70 per cent of the total facility load in the 2000 ’ s to less than six per cent today . As a result , our total power consumption within the data centre specifically has not radically increased to reflecting the increased processing loads we see today . Instead , the total load has grown very slowly , because of the efficiencies that we have implemented .” In his opinion , “ in terms of energy efficiency we have now pushed the laws of physics to their limits . To gain more efficiencies we need to work with customers and individuals to ensure their systems take advantage of the efficiencies we have built into ours and to change the operating parameters we must comply with , to allow for further efficiencies to be gained .”
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