DATA CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN REDUCTION THROUGH ON-SITE RENEWABLE POWER GENERATION

The energy demands from data centers contribute greatly to water scarcity footprint and carbon emissions. Understanding the use of on-site renewable power generation is an important step to gaining insight into making data centers more sustainable. This study examines the impact of on-site solar or wind energy on water scarcity usage effectiveness (WSUE) and carbon usage effectiveness (CUE) at a U.S. county scale for a given data center size, water consumption level, and energy efficiency. The analysis uncovers combinations of specific metrics associated with the grid-based carbon emissions and water scarcity footprint that enable predictions of the improvements anticipated when implementing on-site solar or wind energy. The implementation of on-site renewables has the most benefit on reducing carbon footprint in areas with high existing grid-based emissions such as the mountain regions and the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. The largest benefit in reducing water scarcity footprint is generally seen in the western U.S.