Microsoft wants real zero datacenters emissions, not net zero

A Microsoft data centre in the US state of Virginia will significantly reduce carbon emissions by using nuclear, wind and solar power under an agreement with Constellation Energy. The facility will receive up to 35% nuclear power.

This agreement puts Microsoft very close to the goal of operating the datacenter with 100% carbon-free energy, 24 hours a day. Microsoft will track performance using a monitoring platform from Constellation, which accounts for environmental results. “Microsoft is proud to offer technology resources that enable other climate-conscious companies to also reduce their carbon footprint. Our cooperation with Constellation makes it easy to track real-time results, including regional clean energy demand and generation data, available to companies looking to advance their energy transition”, explains Adrian Anderson, general manager of renewable and carbon-free energy at Microsoft.

According to Constellation, energy markets currently have limited options to track and match carbon-free sources with hourly demand. Today, most organizations seeking to zero their emissions match electricity consumption with renewable energy certificates. While a good start, this model does not guarantee that the energy consumed in a given hour is truly carbon-free. As a result, many companies still rely on energy sources that release carbon into the atmosphere, making it difficult to achieve emissions reduction targets.

By using Constellation‘s platform, Microsoft’s Virginia data centre will be able to monitor between demand and triggered power source, tracking on an hourly basis. “Constellation and Microsoft have worked collaboratively for several years to pioneer this technology. Nothing could be more fitting than for Microsoft to be one of our first customers on this platform. We are confident that this agreement will demonstrate the value and impacts of this technology in addressing the climate crisis,” says Jim McHugh, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Constellation.

With this model, emissions accounting will not seek net zero, but real zero.

Not-so-robust progress towards carbon neutrality

Even though companies in the US have committed to the pursuit of sustainability, with nearly four in five companies saying they have plans to achieve carbon neutrality (78%) and zero emissions (net zero – 79%), a new report from Hitachi Vantara has revealed that real progress may not be as robust as many companies believe.

The global survey brought together 1,000 IT leaders and C-level executives, including 250 in the US. The remaining respondents were in Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Nordic countries, India, China, and Australia. Almost all respondents (96%) are from companies with 1,000 or more employees.

The results showed that four in five respondents (80%) in the United States said the carbon footprint of their datacenters has stayed the same or increased over the past two years and fewer than two in five (19%) said it has decreased. Only 2% said it had decreased by more than 10%. Looking ahead to the next two years, still more than half (51%) expect their data center’s carbon footprint to remain the same or increase; only 12% expect it to decrease by more than 10%.

“To achieve the net-zero goal, companies must establish a concrete strategy and implementation plan, with buy-in from leadership, taking a data-driven approach to emissions across the IT cycle – edge, on-premises and off-premises,” explains Mark Ablett, president of digital infrastructure at Hitachi Vantara.

The survey found that many companies are letting their strategies be dictated by regulation. This can become a problem as it focuses on current needs rather than sustainable operations. On the other hand, sustainable efforts can reduce energy costs, save storage space and streamline operations and data management to ensure more productivity.

Despite the difficulty in making progress in reducing carbon fooDespite the difficulty in making progress in reducing carbon footprint, 60% of respondents said that having a green data centre is a priority. While it is an ongoing measure for 56%, decarbonising data centres was also most frequently cited as the area where companies need outside assistance (42%). The second most mentioned measure was the use of more advanced technological solutions to reduce the carbon footprint (48%). For 44%, the important thing is to develop a corporate culture to support sustainability goals.tprint, 60% of respondents said that having a green datacenter is a priority. While it is an ongoing measure for 56%, decarbonizing datacenters was also most frequently cited as the area where companies need outside assistance (42%). The second most mentioned measure was the use of more advanced technological solutions to reduce the carbon footprint (48%). For 44%, the important thing is to develop a corporate culture to support sustainability goals.

“The fact that datacenter decarbonization was the only area to get more than 50% of responses suggests that there is still a major lack of consensus on what measures to take. Generally speaking, these disparities highlight the need for more knowledge sharing and leadership involvement from companies,” highlights Ablett.