Where in the World should I put my Data Center? 2012 Data Centre Risk Index by Cushman&Wakefield

If Greenpeace had its wish your #1 criteria for where your data center goes is the renewable energy content.  But, as we all know anyone who would do this wouldn't have a job in the data center business.  Renewable energy is important, but it is not the the #1 criteria.  #1 issues are Energy availability and cost, Bandwidth, and Ease of doing business.

Cushman&Wakefield just released their 2012 data centre risk index that provides a perspective in line with current data center thinking.  Here is a data center risk mapped to the world.

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Here is the criteria that Cushman&Wakefield used to rate countries. Note the sustainable energy is in Tier 2 which is 35% and 10% of the area is for sustainable energy, equalling 3.5% out of the total.

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Should Greenpeace be protesting Cushman?  Will they?  Most likely not.

Greenpeace's criteria for what makes a good data center site is here.

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Cushman's study shows the following as the top 10 countries for data centers on page 7 of their report.

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It is good to see Cushman added more countries to its report for 2012.

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Map of other data centers connected to NSA's Mega Utah Data Center

Found this image that shows the information connected to the NSA's new Utah data center.

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The above image comes from this Wired article.

Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)

Photo: Name Withheld; Digital Manipulation: Jesse Lenz

The spring air in the small, sand-dusted town has a soft haze to it, and clumps of green-gray sagebrush rustle in the breeze. Bluffdale sits in a bowl-shaped valley in the shadow of Utah’s Wasatch Range to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. It’s the heart of Mormon country, where religious pioneers first arrived more than 160 years ago. They came to escape the rest of the world, to understand the mysterious words sent down from their god as revealed on buried golden plates, and to practice what has become known as “the principle,” marriage to multiple wives.

The Real Data Center, lessons from The Real CSI, How reliable is the science behind forensics

PBS Frontline has a video on The Real CSI.

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Watch The Real CSI on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Watching this video brings into questions of science behind fingerprints, blood tests and bite marks.

The one method that has trumped a bunch of these techniques is DNA testing.

It is interesting talking to the people who  have lots of data center experience, and in some ways it feels like these are the people who haved figured out the science of data centers, and what really works.

in the same way that fingerprints and blood testing are popular and accepted by the mass public, it doesn't necessary mean there is science behind the techniques.

Are you practicing data center science or using the common accepted methods?  There is a difference.

 

Thinking of Site Issues in addition to overall consumption, example Water Impact Index

Water is a fundamental to so much we do, but unappreciated except when it is scarce.  You are in the desert. Or more often you are in car full of kids driving and the kids are thirsty, and you forgot to stock up on drinks before you left.  The value of water is much higher now.

So, why shouldn't location and the site's availability of water be considered when thinking of environmental impact?

Veolia water illustrates this point comparing peanuts to tomato sauce.

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Another example is beef production.

A second example: the volume of water needed to produce one pound of beef – 1,857 gallons – appears to be the same regardless of whether the beef comes from a water-rich or water-poor area. But the impact on the water resource in two different states or, for that matter, two different areas of one state (East and West Texas, for example) can vary considerably.

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The question few environmental groups ask is what is the local impact?  If there is plenty of power from existing infrastructure, is it possible that a renewable energy plant could have a higher environmental impact?

Most don't want to think about this issue, because it complicates the call to action. Save our planet, renewable energy is the answer, in some places. :-)