Data centres currently consume about 1.3% of global energy produced though this figure is projected to grow as capacities are expanding at an accelerated pace to cater to shifting of computing capabilities onto the cloud. To minimise the impact of the growth, public and private efforts are required, such as the Singapore government’s introduction of green building rating system for data centres, and BMW’s shifting of some applications to a renewable energy-powered data centre. Read more

By Eugene Tay in Green Business Times (10 October 2012):

The new Green Mark for Data Centres was launched today by Ms Grace Fu, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources and Foreign Affairs at the opening of the International Green Building Conference and BEX Asia, which are anchor events of the Singapore Green Building Week. The new dedicated green building rating system for data centres is jointly developed by Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA).

As Singapore’s commercial data centre space is projected to increase by 50% from 2010 to 2015, it is important to look at how green and sustainable data centres are, given their heavy use of energy. It is estimated that a typical large data centre in Singapore consumes energy equivalent to 10,000 households. Energy cost for data centres is also currently estimated to make up 50% of operating costs. There is thus potential for significant savings for data centres too if they were to go green.

The scheme covers both data centres that may occupy a purpose built data centre building or are part of a larger building. It assesses data centres based on five key criteria – energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable construction & management, indoor environment quality as well as other green features. Based on the combined scoring, the data centres will be awarded Platinum, GoldPLUS, Gold or Certified status.

Data centre operators are embracing the new Green Mark scheme. The pilot project saw three data centres being awarded Green Mark ratings – Credit Suisse Regional Data Centre (Platinum), Equinix SG2 Data Centre (GoldPLUS) and Singapore Tourism Board Data Centre (Gold).

Rated Platinum, Credit Suisse Regional Data Centre’s winning features include an efficient air-conditioning system, the use of energy efficient IT equipment and virtualisation technology to reduce overall IT equipment power demand. Such features enabled the data centre with 10,000 square feet of net IT space to achieve energy savings of 3.85 million kilowatt hours annually. This translates to annual cost savings of $1 million. A typical similar size data centre in Singapore consumes an average of 18.1 million kWh annually.

On the latest addition to the Green Mark scheme, Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA said: “While the original Green Mark scheme started off with a focus on building owners, we are now shifting the focus to occupants. Placing greater emphasis on users will help instill in them a sustainability mindset and allow them to play a greater role in Singapore’s green building movement.”

IDA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ronnie Tay said, “Companies are looking to host their strategic IT operations and data centres in Singapore, which offers a secure and resilient infocomm infrastructure, a thriving and vibrant infocomm industry and highly skilled infocomm manpower. As the demand for data centre increases, there is a need to ensure the sustainable development of data centres. To this end, the Green Mark for Data Centre scheme aims to encourage better management and improved energy efficiency of data centres in Singapore.”

The BCA-IDA Green Mark for Data Centres is the result of a two-year collaborative effort between BCA and IDA, with supporting partners from Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N) and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL) in US. It is an extension of the successful BCA Green Mark for buildings scheme launched in 2005.

Source: www.greenbusinesstimes.com

By Energy Manager Today Staff (11 October 2012):

BMW expects to cut the cost of powering its high-performance computing as much as 82 percent by moving some of these applications to Verne Global’s 100 percent, dual-sourced renewable-powered data center campus in Iceland.

According to the UK-based data center developer, the deal will see BMW move a number of its power-hungry applications, including crash simulations, aerodynamic calculations and computer aided design and engineering, to the Verne Global facility.

High-performance computing is traditionally associated with high power consumption and carbon emissions because of the need to both power and cool the high-density servers required to run these applications. By moving 10 of its high-performance computing clusters (consuming 6.31 GWh annually) from its German facilities to Iceland’s zero-emission data center, BMW will reduce annual carbon emissions by 3,570 metric tons, Verne Global says.

BMW made the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2012 top five list of the world’s best companies in terms of climate change disclosure and performance, Environmental Leader reported.

In other recent efforts to make data centers more energy efficient, Intel has partnered with South Korean telecom company KT Corporation to develop energy-efficient technology to reduce power consumption at data centers. The new system, if applied to every KT-owned center, would save 8.6 billion won ($7.6 million) annually. Implementing the new system in every data center in South Korea would save up to 44.8 billion won ($39.6 million).

Intel has also tested Green Revolution Cooling’s oil-based coolant for server storage, and last month, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory selected Hewlett Packard and Intel to provide what it says will be the world’s most energy efficient data center.

Source: www.energymanagertoday.com

With buildings consuming up to 40% of energy produced, they are also one of the biggest potentials for savings through improvements in energy efficiency. Regulatory frameworks are now coming into place to promote the development of green buildings, with Singapore introducing valuation guidelines to make tangible the economic benefits of going green for building owners and tenants. These are initiatives are receiving increasing adoption as nations, and developers like Lend Lease are moving towards making green buildings part of the recipe for global environmental sustainability. Read more

By Jenny Marusiak in Eco Business.com (16 October 2012):

Properly pricing green buildings

Singapore’s building industry is finally putting a price on the benefits of green buildings with the introduction of a new valuation guideline announced on Friday.

The Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV) and building regulator, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), announced the new guidelines on the final day of last week’s three-day International Green Building Conference at a breakfast briefing for 250 high-level professionals from the industry.

The new green building valuation guidelines will be included in a revised version of the SISV’s industry guide to be released next month and will provide information on how to evaluate the cost benefits of green features such as energy and water efficiency.

“The new valuation guideline assists to keep valuers up to date and ensures that they adopt a more consistent approach when recognising the full value of energy-efficient buildings,” said the head of Valuation Advisory Services for global property firm Jones Lang LaSalle, Tan Keng Chiam, in a statement.

Singapore’s property sector has had no standard way to reflect the impact of green building features on property values until now.

Recent studies, including one published last year by BCA and the National University of Singapore, have shown that renovating commercial buildings to make them more energy efficient leads to an increase in their asset value because of their lower operating expenses.

The SISV’s president of Valuation & General Practice, Doctor Lim Lan Yuan, said that the industry needed ways to accurately identify, evaluate and price such benefits because of the increasing number of green buildings on the market.

He noted that developers incurred higher costs when adding green features to buildings, saying, “The issue is whether these costs will be offset by improved occupancy, higher rents or savings in operating expenses associated with an energy-efficient green building.”

Of the many studies that have been done globally, “practically every one indicated an increase in sales premiums,” he said, citing one study of office buildings in the United States that found double digit increases in both rental prices and occupancy rates for energy-efficient buildings.

The SISV, which lists nearly 1,500 individual professionals on its website database, said it would provide workshops and updates to its members to improve their understanding of green building valuation. In addition, BCA will be providing training programmes for valuers.

BCA chief executive Dr John Keung said at the briefing that the valuation guidelines would have a big impact on valuers and building owners alike.

“It will also further drive home the message that green buildings can enhance asset value and make economic sense,” he added.

Source: www.eco-business.com

Green buildings can be norm, says property boss

By Cheryl Lim In Straits Times (13 October 2012):

ECO-friendly buildings that benefit tenants and the wider community are here to stay, said the regional boss of one of Australia’s biggest developers.

Mr Rod Leaver, chief executive of Lend Lease’s Asia operations, said sustainability has long been a fundamental part of the firm’s business outlook and has shaped its projects in Singapore as well.

Lease has several developments here, including Parkway Parade and Jem,a mall in Jurong slated for completion next year.

One of its best-known projects is the 313@Somerset shopping mall, which Mr Leaver cited as an example of an eco-friendly property that can help change attitudes towards the environment.

We educated the tenants about the lighting and power consumption… and we work with them to identify innovative new products and help them to understand that you don’t have to have the brightest shop in the mall,” he added.

While encouraging the adoption of new technology is one way to change mindsets, Mr Leaver also highlighted the company’s Green Lease tenant programme.

He said: “The tenants are obliged under the lease to deal with their waste by separating it or sorting it. Other than minimising waste, we monitor each shop’s energy consumption and work with the tenants and incentivise the through lower energy costs.”

He also noted there were intangible advantages to green buildings. He described how the company’s internal research has found that workers in buildings with access to fresh air fall sick less often than workers in older, less eco-efficient properties.

While more developers are constructing greener buildings, Mr Leaver noted that there needs to be a proper framework to motivate all players in the market.

He said: “In Australia and the United Kingdom, it’s a very advanced market in green buildings. You just would not be able to not build a green building because that’s the standard now.

“If we want to end up with all the buildings in Singapore rated as Green Mark Platinum buildings, it’s going to need more than just a small handful of developers; it needs the Government framework to drive that.”

He also noted that Singapore is leading in the green-building sector within the region.

He said: “The other countries are playing catch-up now but they have the right intentions and they are putting in place regulatory frameworks now.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

Having passed away after a long battle with cancer, the legacy of Fiona Wain – former CEO of Sustainable Business Australia – lives on with her pioneering work on raising awareness of the environmental challenges that businesses face today. Ken Hickson remembers the forceful but always kind leader who didn’t hesitate to encourage and support businesses – small and large – in their journey towards sustanability. She was tough on Government Ministers who were slow to realise the urgency of dealing with climate change and in addressing major environmental probelms. Quick on recognising the important part sustainability plays in national competitiveness, Fiona tirelessly championed the cause on both national and international levels. Here, a fitting tribute, from no less than the one to fill her over-sized shoes. Read more

By Richard Collins (11 October 2012):

Former Sustainable Business Australia CEO Fiona Wain has died following a long battle with cancer.

A statement from current CEO Andrew Petersen said she slipped into a coma and died earlier this week.

The late Fiona Wain.

Wain joined the then Environment Business Australia in 2001 and lead the peak environment industry organisation for a decade, tirelessly doing the Canberra rounds to raise awareness about the scale and relevance of environmental challenges.

Under her leadership, SBA also embarked on a strategic plan to raise the business debate about the role and scope for smart policies, investment, technology and trade opportunities geared towards achieving a sustainable and just world.

Wain was an early adopter of the view that sustainability would become a national competitive advantage in the 21st century, not just a commercial one.

She pursued the interests of Australian business at a number of international forums, including at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 where she chaired the Sustainable Production and Consumption Working Group of business leaders.

She was also instrumental in the recognition of the nascent environment industry in 2001 through development and release of the Australian Environment Industry Action report.

Other significant contributions included her representation on the Queensland Government’s Climate Change Council and submissions on the Renewable Energy Target and to the development of the emissions trading scheme.

“Fiona was a high-energy person, never short of an opinion and never afraid to confront the status quo. And there was her love for champagne – and champagne only!” noted Petersen.

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