Development of the EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) Criteria for Data Centres, Server Rooms and Cloud Services - Final Technical Report (JRC118558, EUR 30251 EN, 2020)

Overview

The report is meant to help public authorities procure data centre equipment and services so that they deliver environmental improvements for energy, climate and resource-efficiency policy and reduce life-cycle costs. It was prepared under the SUSTIM administrative arrangement between DG Environment and the JRC, with the GPP Advisory Group and stakeholders through two ad hoc working group meetings (AHWG1 and AHWG2). It starts with scope and definitions, procurement routes, market and energy data, life-cycle hotspots and costs, and then presents three criteria areas.

In the market chapter, JRC estimates EU data centre energy consumption at 55 TWh/a in 2010, 74 in 2015, 104 in 2020, 134 in 2025 and 160 TWh/a in 2030. Business-as-usual PUE expectations by 2019 are 2.5 for SME server spaces, 1.9-2 for older legacy data centres, 1.65 for newer enterprise sites and 1.35 for cloud/hyperscale. Cutting average EU PUE from 1.56 (BAU) to 1.52 or 1.46 by 2030 is estimated to save 2.3-5.5 TWh per year. The analysis identifies IT equipment as the largest hotspot and expects its importance to grow.

Criteria Area 1 covers the IT system: core server active-efficiency thresholds based on ENERGY STAR v3 and more ambitious comprehensive thresholds, an award criterion for idle-state power, annual average server utilisation (most points above 70%) and the temperature and humidity operating range. The core criterion requires Class A2 and the comprehensive criterion Class A3, with tests of at least 16 and 88 operating hours; for liquid cooling, Classes W2 and W3 (core) and W4 and W5 (comprehensive) apply. Raising server inlet from 15 °C to 30 °C may raise server power by 3-7%, and by 7-20% at 35 °C, so fan power must be reported. Material efficiency and hazardous substances are also in this area.

Criteria Area 2 covers mechanical and electrical performance. A designed PUE (dPUE) is offered at a specified IT load (for example 50% of design) and conditions, calculated under ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016 or EN 50600-4-2:2016, and PUE demonstration at handover is a contract performance clause. Environmental monitoring follows EN 50600-2-3 (supply and return air, cold and hot aisle, humidity, underfloor pressure, coolant flow); cooling best practices follow the EU Code of Conduct or EN 50600 TR99-1, with free cooling where opportunity exists. For waste heat the core level asks for routes for future pipework, the comprehensive level a district heating connection and an ERF (EN 50600-4-6). Waste heat is usually low grade at 35-45 °C, while district heating runs at about 70 °C, so heat pumps are needed.

Criteria Area 3 covers greenhouse gas emissions: the comprehensive technical specification requires a Renewable Energy Factor of 1 (under EN 50600-4-3) and market testing is advised; award criteria give points for REF and load-matched REF. Refrigerants and their climate change mitigation potential are also addressed. The document dates from 2020, cites European legislation and standards, and some values are estimates. Its value to designers and buyers lies in specification wording for dPUE, higher inlet temperature operation, ERF and REF with verification methods.

Key points

1. ASHRAE liquid cooling classes cited: W1 2-17 °C, W2 2-27 °C, W3 2-32 °C, W4 2-45 °C, W5 above 45 °C.
2. Cooling part of PUE (mechanical load at 100% and IT load at 50%) per ASHRAE 90.4 is 0.45 for climate zone 3A (Naples) and 0.43 for 6A (Helsinki), so common EU targets were retained.
3. Business-as-usual PUE expectations by 2019: SME server spaces 2.5, older legacy data centres 1.9-2, newer enterprise 1.65, cloud/hyperscale 1.35.
4. Reducing average EU PUE from 1.56 (BAU) to 1.52 or 1.46 by 2030 was estimated to save 2.3-5.5 TWh per year.
5. Raising server inlet from 15 °C to 30 °C may raise server power by 3-7%; at 35 °C the increase may be 7-20% compared with 15 °C.
6. Over 98% of data centre energy ends up as waste heat, typically low grade at 35-45 °C, while district heating is usually distributed at about 70 °C, requiring heat pumps.
7. Award criterion AC5: designed PUE must be quoted at a specified IT load (for example 50% of design) and conditions and calculated per ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016 or EN 50600-4-2:2016.
8. Ecodesign operating classes, allowable dry bulb: A1 15-32 °C, A2 10-35 °C, A3 5-40 °C, A4 5-45 °C, all with recommended 18-27 °C; max dew point 17/21/24/24 °C.
9. Technical specification TS2 requires Class A2 (core) or A3 (comprehensive) operation and testing in the allowable range for at least 16 or 88 hours respectively.
10. Comprehensive technical specification TS9 requires a Renewable Energy Factor of 1 (100%) under EN 50600-4-3; testing the market first is advised.

Using it in design

• Ask in the specification for a designed PUE (dPUE) at a stated IT load (for example 50%) and conditions, under ISO/IEC 30134-2 or EN 50600-4-2, and write PUE demonstration at handover and the commissioning test into the contract.
• Add the A2 or A3 operating range and reporting of fan power at higher inlet temperature to the server specification; before awarding points for A3, check whether it reduces total deployed power.
• For liquid-cooled designs state the facility supply water temperature range (W2/W3 and W4/W5 classes) in tender documents and confirm the equipment works within it.
• Write the EN 50600-2-3 monitoring scope (supply and return air, aisle temperatures, external and room humidity, underfloor pressure, coolant flow) and measurement granularity into the design requirements.
• For heat reuse, at minimum reserve routes for future pipework (facility water reaching each row); where a heat consumer is near, require ERF (EN 50600-4-6) and REF (EN 50600-4-3) commitments.
• Since waste heat is at 35-45 °C and district heating is at about 70 °C, include the heat pump requirement and load matching in the economic analysis.

Who should read it

Public authorities, consultants and designers who procure or specify data centres, server rooms or cloud services, and design teams looking for verifiable requirement wording.

Document contents

1. Introduction: The Criteria Development Process and Evidence Base
2. Scope and Definition
3. Procurement Routes: Equipping a Server Room or Data Centre, New-Build Data Centres, IT Consolidation/Virtualisation, Hosting and Cloud Services, Operation and Maintenance, Co-location Services
4. Market Volumes and Energy Consumption
5. Key Environmental Impacts of Data Centres and Server Rooms
6. Life Cycle Costs of Data Centres
7. Criteria Area 1: ICT System Performance
8. 1.1 Server Energy Efficiency
9. 1.2 IT Equipment Utilisation
10. 1.3 Temperature and Humidity Operating Range
11. 1.4 Material Efficiency and Hazardous Substances
12. Criteria Area 2: Mechanical and Electrical System Performance
13. 2.1 Power Utilisation Effectiveness (PUE)
14. 2.2 Operating Conditions and Cooling System Best Practices
15. 2.3 Reuse of Waste Heat
16. Criteria Area 3: Reduction of GHG Emissions
17. 3.1 Renewable Energy Factor
18. 3.2 Refrigerants and Climate Change Mitigation Potential
19. Appendix I: ICT Operating Condition Classes
20. Appendix II: Liquid Cooling Classes
21. Appendix III: Idle State Power

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Publication details

Authors

Nicholas Dodd; Felice Alfieri; Miguel Gama Caldas; Larisa Maya-Drysdale; Jan Viegand; Sophia Flucker; Robert Tozer; Beth Whitehead; Anson Wu; Fiona Brocklehurst

Publisher

European Commission JRC

Year

2020

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Open licence — downloadable

DOI

10.2760/964841

Licence

CC BY 4.0 — share with attribution

Licence evidence

doi.org

Citation