Community Issues


One of the major indicators of a successful data centre installation comes from the support, encouragement and/or little resistance given by the surrounding community. Below are just a few of examples of the issues affecting community behaviour.

1. Previous experience of similar projects

Change is always regarded with a certain amount of scepticism, the more exposure a community has to change the more likely they are to be prepared for it and embrace it. The Sheltand Islands are a good example; their pro-active approach to change is one of the factors leading to being one of the first to invest in renewable data centres. (1)

2. Benefits and potential problems associated with renewables

Renewable energy and its associated facilities inevitably impact its location, the population it’s intended to serve, the nearby fauna and flora and possibly the wider environment. As these burgeoning technologies establish themselves, through experience and longevity they become more accepted and their impacts become reduced. A fine balance exists between the necessity to move to renewable energy and its associated sacrifices.

3. Impact upon environment – physically and atheistically

There are plenty of examples of technology impacting the environment; renewable energy facilities depending on who you talk to receive the same dilemma (2). Reducing the disruption and pollution locally and globally to the environment whilst fulfilling the purpose of creating energy for human consumption will always be tough to achieve.

4. CO2 reduction schemes

As data centres increase in size and numbers of facilities so do the carbon emissions associated with them (3). The reduction of CO2 can been seen as a global responsibility (for example the Kyoto Protocol (4)). The initial way for data centres to reduce their carbon emissions is to increase their efficiency, one of the options as mentioned previously is via the process known as free cooling. When a community is looking at its industry as a whole it will favour those facilities operating or offering a reduced carbon impact.

5. Local Government incentives

The British government offer various incentives primarily in line with the Kyoto mechanisms which are aligned with reducing CO2 emissions. The US government also offers direct incentives to operators using renewable energy to power their data centres (5). Any beneficial incentive which compliments the community will be received favourably.

 

References used in this page:

(1) http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2010/04/30/first-firm-to-exploit-fast-broadband-link-announces-plans-for-12-million-data-centre , accessed 30 April 2010
(2)http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/opinion/Leith-biomass-power-struggle.6187354.jp, accessed 30 March 2010
(3)http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/bto/pointofview/pdf/BT_Data_Center.pdf, accessed 16 May 2010
(4)http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php, accessed 25 March 2010