As a global society, we are incredibly and unsustainably wasteful of resources today. According to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature, today we use 1.6 times more resources than the Earth can sustain. Another study by the World Economic Forum shows that one garbage truck full of plastic is dumped in our oceans every minute. If we continue, this is expected to increase to two times per minute by 2030 and four times per minute by 2050 - a situation that is so serious that it requires immediate action.
For any business, this is as much a business and profitability issue as it is an ethical one. Addressing climate change must be at the heart of every company's strategy. Given the amount of heat and carbon they generate, data centers should be no different.
As the world continues to overuse its precious, limited resources, increasingly scarce materials will become more expensive and difficult to source. The only way to overcome this is to create a model of manufactured products that can be upgraded, repaired, reused, refurbished or recycled with minimal waste. Of course, lighting can play an important role in this.
Unfortunately, over the past few years, often outdated notions or unwillingness to change the status quo have been a major barrier to the industry's adoption of this approach. However, we are now witnessing a paradigm shift in the industry. The outcome of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference, competitive incentives, new regulations and government mandates have boosted awareness of the shift to a circular economy. The fact that many local, regional, and government agencies are now officially committed to transitioning to a circular economy is a key driver for businesses to compete to sell products or services to these entities. In the long run, the need for sustainable development will drive the need for a circular economy.
LED lighting
Due to the size of the industry, a sensible first step is to replace the old inefficient traditional lighting that still exists with new efficient LED lighting. LED lighting is 80% more efficient than traditional lighting, and LED lighting can last 25 times longer than traditional light sources, so you can also reap the benefits of reduced maintenance costs. LED lights can also provide instant lighting without preheating, flicker-free light performance, color temperature selection (daylight, natural, or warm colors), and because they generate less heat, LED lights are ideal for these data-critical environments. In addition, while lighting may be only a small part of energy use within data centers, it can have a significant impact on minimizing the cost and energy used for cooling, one of the larger energy consumption within these facilities.
But arguably, the possibilities have become brighter. When organizations move to LED lighting, a layer of lighting control can also be added for further cost savings. Lighting levels can be automatically adjusted according to the activity taking place. These additional energy savings can come from daylight sensing, scene/task Settings, and presence/occupancy detection, all of which will help further reduce the energy consumption of lighting.
