Green Metro-Campus in Zurich enters next stage of construction. Data centre will heat local homes

Construction work has commenced on two additional Green data centres on the Metro-Campus Zurich. Waste heat from the data centres will be used by Energie 360° for cooperative energy solutions. Construction is already underway on the heating centre and district heating network in Dielsdorf.

Leading Swiss data centre provider Green announces the next phase of the project. In Dielsdorf, building work on data centres N and O has commenced on the Metro-Campus Zurich. The two new high-performance data centres will provide room for around 4,000 server racks for up to 160,000 IT systems on an area of 11,600 m2.

Demand is high

With the Metro-Campus Zurich Green is increasing its data centre capacities by 35 megawatts for the operation of customer systems. The campus in Dielsdorf covers an area of 46,000 m2 and comprises high-performance and energy-efficient data centres, as well as a business park with office building. The first data centre was completed in December 2022. The modern office building is currently under construction and will be ready for occupation in the summer of 2024. Expansion phase three involving the addition of data centres N and O started earlier than planned as a result of the strong increase in demand for secure and high-performance data centres.

Data growth and digitalisation as drivers

As data growth increases, so too does the demand for computing power. However, fewer and fewer companies are sticking with their own server rooms or data centres; this is due to the high investment costs associated with modernization and sustainability. Instead, they are moving their systems to secure, efficient and more sustainable data centres or to the cloud. Given the fact that Green is a data centre provider both for companies and for leading cloud providers, demand is increasing extremely quickly. “Our growth reflects the rapid technology and digitalisation push,” explains Roger Süess, CEO of Green, adding: “Modern data centres are needed to ensure that this transformation can be realized in Switzerland quickly, securely and sustainably.”

Waste heat utilisation at data centres reduces CO2 emissions

The two new data centres will also feature waste heat extraction so that surrounding municipalities can benefit from CO2-neutral heating. Green is investing millions in waste heat extraction and working closely with Energie 360°, which is currently planning and implementing several cooperative district heating projects in the region. 

Thanks to the extraction process, data centre M will supply up to 3,500 households, as well as industry and commerce. The first district heating centre will be opened in the Metro-Campus area in 2024 and will supply up to 3,500 households in Dielsdorf. With the waste heat of the two new data centres, further households and industry will be supplied with district heating in the region. 

“We’re doing our bit for the circular economy and supporting the energy transition through the use of waste heat as well as a number of other measures. We are convinced that future-oriented digitalization can only be achieved through sustainable data centres,” explains Roger Süess.

Further information: www.green.ch

Conrad Energy kicks off new partnership with Harlequins

Harlequins are thrilled  to announce a new partnership with Conrad Energy which has today been unveiled as the Club’s Official Power Partner and Sleeve Sponsor.

In an exciting new partnership, the Conrad Energy logo will feature on the sleeves of the Harlequins Women’s and Men’s shirts for the 2023/24 season, commencing this weekend with matches against Gloucester-Hartpury and Exeter Chiefs. 

The partnership will also feature significant Conrad Energy branding throughout The Stoop, alongside a range of key initiatives, supporting the Club’s commitment to driving sustainable energy growth.

Formed in 2016, Conrad Energy are a leading energy producer with more than 70 sites throughout the UK. As an Independent Power Producer (IPP), Conrad Energy are at the forefront of the energy transition, helping the UK move towards a sustainable, net zero carbon electricity system by balancing the grid when renewables can’t meet demand.

Conrad Energy also work closely with businesses to help drive down their energy costs and carbon footprints through a variety of innovative products and services. With a pipeline of more than 1GW of their own projects and a growing base of business customers, Conrad Energy are powering a changing world.

Commenting on the new partnership, Conrad Energy’s CEO Steven Hardman said: “We’re delighted to partner with a world-famous club like Harlequins. The values they hold dear such as teamwork, commitment, performance and creativity are similar to our own, so it feels like a really great match. We look forward to a strong and successful relationship”.

Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple added: “We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with Conrad Energy. Conrad Energy are leading the power transformation in the UK and their determination to improve efficiency aligns completely with the Club’s commitment to drive smarter and sustainable power solutions.

“We’re excited to form this new relationship with Conrad Energy and we’re looking forward to having their logo proudly displayed on our Harlequins Women’s and Men’s shirt for the season ahead.”

Both parties would like to thank Very Media for their support in developing this relationship.

To learn more about Conrad Energy visit: www.conradenergy.co.uk

LONGi Solar Modules Power Charging Hub for 180 Electric Vehicles at UK’s National Exhibition Centre

The charging hub of UK’s National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham is being powered by an 80 kWp solar carport.

The Gigahub can charge 180 electric vehicles simultaneously and is an example of producing clean energy for clean energy. 

The 80 kWp photovoltaic installation was accomplished by sustainable energy solutions expert Ineco Energy PV with modules from LONGi Solar, the world's largest manufacturer of PV modules and solar wafers. SolarEdge provided the smart energy solutions and Bluetop Solar Parking the solar carport installations for the charging hub.

“We're proud to support a project like this new Gigahub at the heart of the UK motorway grid at the NEC in Birmingham. At LONGi we follow the concept of “solar for solar”, meaning to produce clean energy with clean energy. Charging electric vehicles with solar energy thus corresponds to our DNA at LONGi", said Sean McSorley, Sales Manager UK at LONGi.

“With transport accounting for over 24% of total UK emissions, EV Infrastructure is an essential part of the UK's transition towards Net Zero. The NEC Gigahub is a flagship site that will showcase some of its 7m annual visitors and 60m traffic count what the forecourt of the future looks like, today. Powered by renewables including from the on-site solar canopy in the day and light up by LEDs at night, the charging hub provides clean and convenient EV charging infrastructure. LONGi Solar has been a reliable partner for us providing highly reliable and efficient modules,” said Angus Rose, Director of Ineco Energy.

www.longi.com

Who’s the Greenest of Them All? Green NCAP Launches New Life Cycle Assessment Award

Today, Green NCAP has launched the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) award to highlight five-star cars with the lowest impact on the climate over their complete vehicle life.  This is the first time that the organisation rewards cars based on their Life Cycle Assessment results.  

Four cars have been given the LCA Award: the Dacia Spring, the ORA Funky Cat, Renault’s electric Megane E-Tech, and the Tesla Model 3.  With this award, Green NCAP encourages consumers to make a ‘greener choice’ and consider a car’s entire life cycle, not just its powertrain.  A visual stamp is introduced to create a clear recognition of the environmental value that the award represents.

"Since 2019, Green NCAP’s star ratings have provided consumers with an easy way to compare the on-road environmental performance of new cars under identical driving conditions.  LCA information complements the rating as it assesses the vehicle’s complete environmental impact, taking into account factors like production, energy supply, and end-of-life.  We believe that this award helps consumers to make an informed and greener choice about the true sustainability of their cars – it will be a true differentiator for the wide choice of electric cars currently on offer on the forecourt.  Moreover, it is hoped that the award will act as a catalyst for the industry to innovate and accelerate its development of more sustainable cars," said Dr. Aleksandar Damyanov, Green NCAP Technical Manager

The LCA Award is given only to those five-star vehicles, tested since 2022, that are amongst the best performers for LCA.  Currently, these are vehicles with total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions equal to or less than 120 g CO2‑eq./km, based on the Green NCAP LCA methodology and set European average values.

Since 2022, Green NCAP has been conducting Life Cycle Assessment for each car tested, analysing its impact from ‘cradle to grave’ i.e., from when it was manufactured, through its lifetime of usage, and, finally, its destruction and end-of-life treatment, including some degree of recycling.  Lower emissions from production and maintenance, together with minimal output of climate-damaging emissions during use, significantly reduce the negative impact on the environment.  Past analyses by Green NCAP have shown that lighter vehicles with smaller batteries have a clear advantage in minimising environmental damage.

Green NCAP strongly encourages manufacturers to recognise the life cycle as a critical part of vehicle development and to share detailed information relating to their own vehicle production.

To see if your car has been assessed for its LCA performance, please visit here https://www.greenncap.com/european-lca-results

(Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

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