EC launches free web tool for renewable data centre design

European Commission research project, RenewIT have today announced the launch of its final version of its free online tool for the design and placement of energy.

The RenewIT tool is centred on efficient and renewable powered data centres. It is designed to help data centre operators; designers and relevant stakeholders select the optimum combination of efficiency measures and renewables for energy and carbon sustainable facilities.

The RenewIT project, which is expected to end this month, has also released a number of other software tools and research reports on its main website.

This includes facilities such as; Renewable energy optimised data centre monitoring tool, a free catalogue of advanced renewable and energy efficiency technologies- helping data centre operators integrate renewable and energy-efficiency technologies.

The tool is also said to give an easier comparison of over 60 locations across Europe in terms of electricity costs, access to renewables and other factors that influence decisions when planning the site of a new facility.

RenewIT project spokesperson said: “The tool is truly unique. It not only allows data centre operators to model the benefits and costs of on-site and grid renewables but also the efficiency gains from technologies such as free cooling, and even workload management, can also be assessed in detail.”

The launch came as industry body the Green Grid, the industry body which develops metrics for data centre efficiency issued guidance and a warning for data centre operators.

It warned about the urgency for data centre operators to commit to energy efficient practices-avoiding risk of leaving consumers unprotected from excessive data restrictions.

EMEA Marketing Chair for The Green Grid, Roel Castelein said: “The growths of global data centre activity, and its energy consumption, are startling. Combined with the fact that data centres (the main powerhouses behind this data exchange) consume two to three per cent of global energy supplies, you have a growing energy sustainability problem.”