The cost of being carbon-free: Brice Fourney's view
The cost of being carbon-free: Brice Fourney's view
At the Platform Global event in Antibes in early September 2024, Brice Fourney, Head of Equans Data Centers, took the stage to address the pressing issue of reducing carbon emissions in data center design and construction. His talk, “The Cost of being Carbon Free”, addressed the importance of reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and understanding the broader challenges the sector faces in driving meaningful environmental change. Over the past decade, industries have made significant strides in reducing energy consumption. However, these efforts have plateaued recently, indicating that further progress will require more innovative and perhaps disruptive approaches.
Energy efficiency and carbon emissions
Brice Fourney highlighted the close relationship between energy efficiency and carbon emissions when considering the lifecycle analysis, while we too often focus on the cost of low-carbon solutions during construction. Brice highlighted that over the past ten years, data centers have significantly improved operational efficiency and energy consumption.
“The cost of low carbon is linked to construction and efficiency. We still have a lot of interest in reducing our energy consumption,” he said, pointing out that while efficiency gains have been substantial, they have now reached a plateau. “The PUE could be improved, but it will require strong involvement, innovation, and taking advantage of the changes we are seeing in our industry to make things right from the beginning.”
A recent analysis conducted by Equans Data Centers team on a medium hyperscale project showed that energy consumption and carbon emissions remain high.
“ A good order of magnitude to have in mind is around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per MW of IT power installed, for construction and technical infrastructure, excluding IT equipment ”
Correspondingly, in Europe, the carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour ranges widely, from 40 grams of CO2 in Sweden to 660 grams in Poland. The United Kingdom, for example, hovers around 200 grams per kilowatt-hour as of 2023. Putting it all together, Brice emphasised that even a small data center in the UK running at 60% capacity for two years can produce the same carbon footprint as its construction. This illustrates the urgency of energy efficiency improvements, as energy consumption during operation can quickly outstrip gains made during construction.
Brice Fourney also noted that while there are opportunities to improve energy efficiency, such as through the introduction of liquid cooling, even though these gains will not be enough to offset the increasing environmental footprint of the industry. The growth of digital infrastructure is likely to continue outpacing efforts to reduce its impact, meaning the overall environmental footprint is set to grow: we are investing our carbon budget in our digital infrastructure, we shall act with responsibility and make any possible effort to mitigate it as the remaining carbon budget to stay below 1.5°C is shrinking.
The role of design and innovation
A key theme is the role of design in reducing carbon emissions. Brice Fourney pointed out that the data center industry, despite its maturity, has struggled to innovate in ways that meaningfully reduce carbon footprints. While data centers have become denser and more efficient, the industry has largely relied on the same basic design principles for the past 15 years. He argues that companies need to challenge conventional designs and accept more variation in materials and approaches if they are to achieve real emissions reductions. This could involve adopting a circular economy model, where materials are reused or recycled, or exploring more innovative solutions, further to low-carbon concrete which is already in use.
Resilience and future-proofing design
With climate change leading to more frequent extreme weather events, Brice Fourney also stressed the importance of designing infrastructure that is resilient to future conditions. This means anticipating changes in temperature, weather patterns, and other environmental factors that could affect data center operations. He gave an example of heat circulation around large data centers, which can become problematic as temperatures rise. He argued that the future-proof design may be integrated early in the design process, revisiting site selection and construction practices to ensure resilience under future climate conditions.
Equans Data Centers is working to address sustainability challenges by adopting new strategies to reduce the carbon footprint from the design to build. Carbon Shift, an Equans company, is our integrated approach to accelerate our clients’ transformation towards a low-carbon, resilient, and sustainable world. “Carbon Shift provides consultancy services and supports companies in building strategies and financing plan”, says Fourney.
Beyond offsetting: Reduction and restoration
In discussing carbon reduction strategies, Brice Fourney stressed that carbon capture and restoration must be prioritised, offsetting emissions is not enough. Simply reducing emissions is insufficient to meet the necessary climate targets; companies must also invest in projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere. “Carbon stays in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years because it is a very stable molecule,” Fourney stated, “We have to capture and restore the carbon emissions which should be tracked with a dedicated KPI to avoid any green washing”. The carbon cost for a forest restauration, as of today, is not excessively high. For a 10MW data center, the CO2 emissions during construction, totalling 20,000 tCO2eq, would require an investment of around 600,000 euros to restore the same amount of carbon emissions.
He emphasised forest restoration and biodiversity as integral parts of the data center sustainability strategy for Equans Data Centers. Rejeneo, a Bouygues company, supported Equans Data Center team in sourcing and monitoring projects protecting and restoring the natural ecosystem, and the team in France invested to restore 10% of its 2023 carbon footprint with Ecotree.
Economic and strategic changes
In his talk, Brice Fourney also discussed the economic dimensions of addressing climate change, particularly the concept of CARE (Comprehensive Accounting in Respect of the Environment). This framework suggests that companies should integrate environmental and social metrics, such as carbon emissions and ecosystem impact into their core accounting practices. This would involve treating environmental metrics with the same importance as financial metrics, ensuring that decisions are made with full awareness of their environmental consequences. By doing so, companies can drive more sustainable practices from within, rather than relying on external regulations.
He further advocated for structural changes in how projects are approached. He said: “Having a common goal to reduce the carbon footprint from the project's inception is a key enabler. And coming back to the question of the cost of being carbon free, we believe that, in most cases, it will lead to cost savings.” He advised that companies could adopt leaner designs that reduce excess materials and focus on delivering the same services with a smaller environmental footprint. This kind of strategic thinking, combined with a willingness to innovate, could lead to carbon savings of 15-30%.
Change is essential
In closing his talk, Brice Fourney underscored the need for change across the industry. “The real cost of becoming carbon-free is to change ourselves and our companies”, he advocated. A comprehensive and accountable framework is necessary to guide companies through this transformation.
As we continue to navigate the complexities of reducing carbon emissions, Brice Fourney’s insights provide a clear direction and acknowledge the magnitude of the problem, strive to innovate, be bold and think out of the box. Collaboration across industries, accountability, and transparent reporting are essential to achieving meaningful progress in reducing carbon emissions.