While data centers are essential tools for storing, processing, and protecting information in today’s economy, they also require vast amounts of electricity and can significantly contribute to climate change. It is estimated that data centers use 200 terawatt-hours of electricity per year and produce his 3.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
To reduce carbon emissions, companies like Kohler want to be part of the solution by developing more efficient generators that provide cleaner backup power.
“Data centers demand so much power that it’s our responsibility to provide better, more sustainable solutions,” said Ben Crawford, business development manager at Kohler. Masu. “At Kohler, we are developing more efficient and environmentally friendly generators that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”
Mr. Crawford is giving a lecture on Mr. Bisnow The national DICE event will be held at the Statler in Dallas on March 7th. He, along with other speakers, will discuss cleaner alternatives to power data centers. Register here.
Bisnow We spoke with Crawford about some of the trends he’s observing, the challenges of building cost-effective and sustainable data centers, and how Kohler is providing a solution. Ta.
Bisnow: What sustainability trends are you seeing right now?
Crawford: I think it comes down to progress on both the demand side and the supply side. Data centers require more power and carriers are trying to come up with strategies to reduce the energy output used for these processes and demands.
On the supply side, particularly on the energy side, operators are exploring options to reduce carbon emissions from backup power solutions. If your data center is struggling to provide grid power during an emergency, we can provide solutions that reduce costs and emissions for operators.
Bisnow: What inspired you to attend Bisnow’s DICE event in Dallas?
Crawford: Attending Mr. Bisnow Thanks to events in Dallas, you can always keep your eyes and ears on new trends and advances in data centers. This also gives us a platform to showcase what Köhler is doing and how we are moving forward with our decarbonization strategy. I think it’s a big benefit to teach people and learn from data center operators.
Bisnow: What are some of the challenges in building cost-effective and sustainable data centers?
Crawford: Not only will it be more expensive to operate, but I think it will be harder to find more sustainable energy solutions while maintaining resilience.
While solar and wind can provide intermittent power, there is still a need for a more reliable power source that can keep the entire data center operational, especially during grid outages. The most common traditional solutions are diesel or natural gas generators.
At Kohler, our focus is on ensuring we deliver optimized products through advanced combustion technology. We also offer alternative energy sources such as hydrogen fuel cells, but ongoing hydrogen supply chain issues remain to be addressed. One thing all operators have in common is that they are taking incremental, actionable steps toward building more sustainable data center systems while increasing cost efficiency. We want to be part of this progress.
Bisnow: What is Kohler doing to provide more viable solutions?
Crawford: My role in emerging technologies is to find alternative solutions that complement our core portfolio. One way he does this is by evolving traditional core technologies such as diesel generators. Now, as the primary backup solution for data centers around the world, all of our diesel engines can accept hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable diesel. This alternative source has a lower carbon intensity throughout its lifecycle, allowing businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
The second part is establishing industry-leading protocols for operating and maintaining backup solutions. Facility operators for mission-critical applications typically run diesel generators every month, which consumes large amounts of fuel, leading to wasted energy and increased costs.
To address this, we offer a maintenance program called Conscious Care to help our data center customers reduce their expenses and carbon footprint. The program specifically enables fuel-saving no-load exercises using our diesel generators, reducing carbon emissions by 44%. You can also move to a 4-month extension experiment, allowing customers to run the test every 4 months when the local utility’s demand load is at its lowest, reducing total carbon emissions by 69%, fuel Consumption is reduced by 71%.
Bisnow: As data center sustainability strategies evolve over the next five years, how will Kohler be part of this evolution?
Crawford: Going forward, the concern for data center operators will be balancing resiliency, sustainability, and economics.
Kohler is participating on the energy supply side by offering cost-effective solutions that progressively meet customers’ transitional needs. The more we advance engine technology to reduce fuel usage, the more we can devise ways to operate data centers at lower costs while maintaining resiliency.
The use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel is a major theme. We recently announced the Kohler hydrogen fuel cell system, which we have been developing for several years. Leveraging our existing expertise and capabilities, we designed and manufactured a system that works similarly to traditional solutions, but with the added benefit of zero emissions when in use. We are also investigating the combustion of alternative fuels such as ammonia and methanol. We understand that one technology does not fit all cases, and we want to be a solution provider that helps our customers achieve a variety of goals.
Register here for Bisnow’s National Dice event on March 7th.
This article was produced in collaboration with Studio B and Kohler. Bisnow News staff was not involved in the production of this content.
Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. If you would like to learn more about how Studio B can help your team, please contact us at studio@bisnow.com.
