22 June 2020

Data centre CO2 “will level off” at about 2.2% of Ireland’s total emissions by 2025, according to the new Q1 2020 report from industry group Host in Ireland and Bitpower.

This increase is expected to slow further as the transition to renewable electricity genera- tion accelerates in order to meet the targets in the government’s Climate Action Plan. Furthermore, the report used data provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EirGrid.

It also takes into account the SEAI historical data showing the CO2 per unit of electricity has almost halved over the past 15 years and the impact that has on CO2 attributable to data centres in Ireland in the future.

“From Netflix to Zoom to home schooling, data centres are creating and maintaining the new normal amidst a global pandemic,” said Garry Connolly, president and founder of Host in Ireland. “With this added purpose comes added responsibility both to global citizens and towards the decarbonisation of Ireland’s electricity supply. The growth of the Irish datacentreindustrywillgohand-in-hand withthedevelopmentofgreenelectricityto meet power availability demands.”

Connolly added that wind generation “is virtually an untapped resource of green electricity” within Ireland’s borders and coastline and provides limitless opportunities for both Ireland and the industry.

The Q1 2020 report also explored the effect of Covid-19 on data centre development activities and found a 10-15% impact on data centre investment projects.
Demands remain strong and will result in €200m spend being delayed due to the pandemic, according to the company. Host in Ireland still anticipates an additional €6.7bn in investment in the industry by 2025.

The report provides an analysis of the impact of data centres on Ireland’s carbon emissions historically and looks ahead to the next five years.