The level of digitization is increasing. Whether in business, society or administration - the digital change is noticeable in almost all areas of life. Examples include online orders or the use of data on mobile phones in private settings, as well as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or 3D printers in business and the digital citizen's office, where tax returns are submitted online. All of this is also good for the climate. In its study "Climate effects of digitization", the industry association Bitkom found that more than 70 million tons of CO₂ could be saved by 2030 thanks to digitization. "Digitization can contribute almost a quarter to Germany's self-imposed climate goals," says Bitkom Vice President Christina Raab. That is why digital change must be driven forward further. Because if the current pace continues, digitization could only contribute 16 percent to the CO₂ reduction target. In 2022, Germany's CO₂ emissions were still at 746 million tons and by 2030 they are expected to be 438 million tons. In order to further expand the digital structures, modern data centers are needed that can also be operated sustainably. High Knowledge GmbH offers innovative solutions for this.
The Bitkom study "Climate effects of digitalization" is multi-faceted. The study examines three possible scenarios for future CO₂ emissions and the CO₂ effect of the use of digital solutions in the particularly relevant sectors of energy, buildings, industry, transport and agriculture. Firstly, a pessimistic projection of high CO₂ emissions in 2030, and secondly, an optimistic projection of low emissions, for example by covering 85 percent of electricity needs with renewable energies. As a possible third assumption, the climate effects of digitalization are considered based on average CO₂ emissions. This option is between the pessimistic and particularly optimistic CO₂ projection.
Of course, digitalization itself also generates CO2. Not only the operation of the technologies, but also the use of end devices such as screens, computers, mobile phones or tablets as well as the operation of the network infrastructure and data centers indirectly cause such climate-damaging emissions. If digitization continues at the current pace, CO₂ consumption will be 2.1 million tons. However, if the digital transformation continues at a faster pace, the CO₂ footprint of digital technologies in the five sectors in 2030 could even be 3.8 million tons in the middle of the three projections considered. It is therefore important to use or develop energy-saving technology. There are already innovative and sustainable solutions for the climate-neutral operation of data centers, which will be examined in more detail later in the article.
Integrating sustainability and digital strategies
In which areas can the most CO₂ be saved, according to the study? Digitalization offers great opportunities, especially in the energy sector. Up to 26.4 million tons of CO₂ can be saved with accelerated digitalization and 24.5 million tons of carbon dioxide with standard digitalization. This can be achieved, for example, by using smart grids - so-called intelligent power grids. Here, power generation and consumption are precisely controlled. In the future, CO₂ emissions can also be reduced in the production and control of renewable energy sources. In the building sector, large amounts of CO₂ can also be saved through the use of digitalization. According to the study, this will be around 12.4 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2030 and up to 18.3 million tons if the spread of smart technologies such as smart home or networked building technology is promoted more strongly.
In industrial manufacturing, up to 12.7 million tons of CO₂ can be saved in 2030 with accelerated digitization, for example through automated production or the use of AI. With normal digitization, this would be 5.6 million tons. There are also opportunities to save carbon dioxide in the transport sector and in agriculture. "Digital climate protection is a huge opportunity for the German economy. Companies can maintain and increase their competitiveness while saving CO₂ at the same time," says Bitkom Vice President Christina Raab. But this also means that companies must closely combine their climate and sustainability strategy with their digitization strategy. This of course also applies to data center operators.
Mastering digitalization sustainably
A further increase in digitization in business, administration and the private sector is causing an immense increase in data. "The global data sphere was around one zettabyte in 2012 and will grow to 175 zettabytes by 2025. That's why we also talk about the so-called zettabyte era," emphasizes Harry Knopf, Managing Director of High Knowledge. "This poses very special challenges for data centers and IT infrastructure. It is important to keep pace with the rapid growth in data consumption, data creation and reproduction and also to meet climate targets such as the 1.5 degree target, which aims to limit the global temperature rise caused by the greenhouse effect to 1.5 degrees Celsius."
In addition, the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) also stipulates binding regulations for the operation of data centers. For example, a mandatory Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is required, which distinguishes between data centers that start or have started operations before and after July 1, 2026. Data centers that started operations before July 1, 2026 must comply with a PUE of 1.5 from July 2027. From July 2030, a PUE of 1.3 will be mandatory and a PUE of 1.2 applies to newer data centers. There are also regulations regarding the use of the waste heat generated. Companies are obliged to avoid the waste heat generated as much as possible and to reduce it to the proportion that is technically unavoidable. In addition, companies subject to energy audits or energy management must collect and provide information on the thermal performance, availability, temperature and pressure of the waste heat. All waste heat is to be made usable by 2028. For data center operators, this means that the resulting waste heat must be fed into a heating network, for example.
Test and build sustainably
When planning and building new data centers, legal requirements can be implemented more easily. But what about existing systems? High Knowledge’s DC Check, for example, is a good option here. Various checking procedures can be used to identify weak points and potential for improvement. “We quickly and easily identify optimization opportunities, recognize non-conformity with applicable standards and specifications, and whether and where action is needed, security gaps exist, where and how energy consumption can be reduced and emissions saved,” says Martin Vogt, High Knowledge’s technical director. The current situation must therefore be examined closely. This includes the location and the entire IT infrastructure as well as the utilization of the servers. This allows the amount of energy required, the use of waste heat and possible server cooling to be calculated. Thanks to this well-founded sustainability certification, a well-thought-out, holistic view of the data center is taken. In the case of a new building, this also makes it possible to assess how the data center can be dismantled sustainably and what function it can have later.
High Knowledge GmbH from Cologne offers its turnkey Blue DC solutions for the planning, construction and operation of a climate-neutral data center. Depending on the requirements and size of the data center, there is the right application. "Depending on the local situation, we can use certain advanced technologies and thus achieve, for example, significantly reduced energy consumption," explains Knopf. With Blue DC, it is even possible to save up to 80 percent of energy. In addition to reducing electricity consumption, the solution also focuses on using the waste heat from IT and network components. This can, for example, be transferred to a circuit and thus made usable for heating systems such as district heating networks.
Certified sustainability
Furthermore, the modular data centers are fully redundant and thus offer the highest level of reliability. Thanks to the innovative cooling technology used, low power consumption is ensured and the environmentally friendly energy storage systems also enable the integration of renewable energies. "The Blue DC solution is completely modular. This means that the availability class, protection class and size can be individually selected and scaled," emphasizes High Knowledge Managing Director Harry Knopf. All Blue DC data centers are also TÜV-certified and, upon request, awarded the "Blue Angel" environmental label. With High Knowledge's innovative solutions, data centers can be operated in a climate-neutral manner and the necessary and important digitization can be sustainably promoted.
Conclusion
Digitalization offers great opportunities for business, administration and the private sector. Digital change will also make a significant contribution to Germany achieving its climate goals by 2030. However, this also requires data centers that process the constantly increasing volume of data. In order for data centers to operate in a climate-neutral and sustainable manner, sustainable solutions are available that help to drastically reduce energy consumption and make sensible use of waste heat.
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