DCD Zero Downtime: The Bi-Weekly Data Center Show

Episode 48 - How to face up to regulations, with Venessa Moffat, EkkoSense

Jan 25, 2024

Venessa Moffatt, an expert in regulations and energy efficiency, discusses the impact of regional regulations on data centers, focusing on Amsterdam. They explore variations in legislation, the challenges of measuring PUE, waste heat reuse, and the need for collaboration between data centers and local authorities.

31:25

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Episode guests

Venessa Moffatt

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Quick takeaways

Data center operators in Europe must be prepared to meet new reporting requirements and engage with local authorities to comply with energy efficiency regulations.

Amsterdam's data center regulations have spurred collaborations between operators and local governments to ensure sustainable practices and align with the city's goals.

Deep dives

Regulations and fines for data centers in Germany

Germany is the first European country to implement the European energy efficiency directive, which includes fines for data centers that do not comply. The fines can range from up to 50,000 euros to 100,000 euros. While some data centers may see these fines as insignificant, it is seen as a statement and a way to initiate dialogue between local governments, regulators, and data centers. This dialogue is important as it allows data centers to explain their challenges and limitations, such as difficulties with reusing waste heat or PUE metrics.

Introduction

3min

The Impact of Fines on Data Centers and the Need for Dialogue with Regulators

3min

Challenges with PUE and Regulations on Waste Heat Reuse in Data Centers

3min

Challenges of commercializing waste heat and the need for a service level agreement

2min

Challenges and Opportunities for Data Center Legislation

19min

Data Centers and Local Authorities Working Together in Planning Stages

2min

Europe has an Energy Efficiency Directive, Germany has an Energy Efficiency Act, and operators there can be fined for inefficiency.

Meanwhile, Amsterdam has declared war on sleeping servers, and set limits on where facilities can be built. Across Europe, in response to congested electric grids and shortages of land, local governments are stepping in to regulate data centers.

Sometimes they want them to be greener, sometimes they want them to be quieter, and sometimes they just want them somewhere else. But any data center operator now has to be prepared to meet new reporting requirements and talk to the local authorities about their business.

This is not a bad thing, says Venessa Moffat, head of channel partner manager EMEA Europe for EkkoSense. It's about time those discussions happened.

People who run cities need to understand the businesses that are located there - and from those discussions, new partnerships can emerge.

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DCD Zero Downtime: The Bi-Weekly Data Center Show

Episode 48 - How to face up to regulations, with Venessa Moffat, EkkoSense

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Regulations and fines for data centers in Germany

Amsterdam's regulations on data center construction

Applicability of European regulations to UK data centers

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts