– Many key oil and energy industry players wanted to know how we have managed to make our new data centers so much more sustainable than the traditional, says CCO at Green Edge Compute, Patrik Hagelin.
The company recently announced that Green Edge Compute is building its next data center in Stavanger. The consultancy firm CGI is a vital part of these plans. Therefore, it was natural that the two companies joined forces at The Energyworld conference on May 19th.
- Read more: CGI and Green Edge Compute are building the world's most sustainable data center in Stavanger
- Read more: Green Edge Compute and CGI join forces at Energyworld
Energyworld is one of the most crucial industry meetings for Norway's oil and energy industry in Stavanger.
Our ideas are becoming a reality in Trondheim
– We attended Energyworld last year, but it was a very different experience this year. Since then, we have come a long way and are installing our first data center in Trondheim. Moreover, we will start establishing ourselves in Stavanger this autumn in close collaboration with CGI. It was great to show that our ideas are becoming a reality. Thus our sustainable solutions created much interest at Energyworld, says Hagelin.
During the conference, Green Edge Compute had the opportunity to summarize the history behind the company. However, the central part of the presentation was reserved for Klaus Livik, strategy manager at Volue. He talked about the unique solution for buying and selling energy in an internal market that they have developed for the energy company, Trønderenergi. The plan is to test the solution in the first Green Edge Compute data center in Trondheim.
Today, large energy companies have exclusive rights to sell energy in Norway. For example, if you have a solar panel on your roof, you are not allowed to resell the surplus electricity. Neither can you share it for free. In Trondheim, Green Edge Compute, in collaboration with the municipality through the EU-funded project + CityxChange, has been granted a dispensation to create an internal energy market.
More intelligent utilization of local energy
– We are working on solutions making it possible to utilize energy resources smarter locally. In Trondheim, we have the opportunity to buy local renewable power for our data center. The surplus heat from the data center can also be reused in the municipality's district heating systems. Volue has created the control mechanisms in this market. Just imagine how much energy is wasted because we cannot share it! Says Hagelin.
There were around 400 participants during Energyworld, and the presentation with Green Edge, Volue, and CGI was well attended.
In Green Edge, we are not dependent on changes in the rules for energy sales since it is already allowed to supply hot liquid from our data centers to district heating systems. But from a sustainability perspective, it is crucial that the surplus energy from the district heating network can again be used where it is most needed. Then you are not dependent on seasonal fluctuations in consumption, says CCO in Green Edge Compute, Patrik Hagelin.
From the left: CCO in Green Edge Compute Patrik Hagelin, strategy manager for Volue, Klaus Livik, Paul Fiskaaen energy director in CGI, and Jan Georg Larsen, senior business advisor in Green Edge Compute.
– Cloud solutions are not carbon neutral
Green Edge Compute brings all the experiences from the data center in Trondheim to Stavanger. Surprisingly, many are still unaware of how energy-intensive the data center industry is. One has the impression that it is positive that systems are moved to the cloud because the cloud is clean. In practice, the cloud involves centralizing data processing power in massive data centers that require enormous amounts of energy, says Hagelin.
Senior business developer Jan Georg Larsen in Green Edge Compute was central in drafting the agreement with CGI on the new data center in Stavanger. He found
it very useful to be present at Energyworld.
A data center with sustainability as a prerequisite
– There was a good turnout during our presentation, and the audience responded very positively to our concept. We are building a name for ourselves. Many liked that we are creating innovative data centers with sustainability as a prerequisite rather than an afterthought. Says Larsen.
He emphasizes that although Energyworld is an important meeting place for the oil and energy sector, it is only one of several relevant markets for Green Edge Compute's data centers.
– On June 15th, we will attend Datasenterdagen in Oslo. During Energyworld, CGI had the lead. In Oslo, we take over the rains together with our partner Telenor. The theme is: "What will tomorrow's landscape for computing look like?" This theme fits perfectly with our data center concept, says Larsen.
