碳中和 | 数据中心必须控制隐形碳排放

数据中心必须控制隐形碳排放

Data centers must gain control over embodied carbon

February 15, 2022 by Brevan Reyher, EYP Mission Critical Facilities

译 者 说

数据中心运营方在分析和设计决策时，应考虑前期建筑和运营期间的全生命周期碳排放。

随着全球新建建筑项目碳排放创纪录，建筑业离净零排放越来越远 。

With global emissions from new build projects at record levels, construction is moving further away from net zero.

This article is co-written by Ed Ansett of i3 Solutions. Both authors are members of of the i3 Solutions EYPMCF GHG Abatement Group.

隐形碳排放成本几乎都是在项目建设阶段产生的。然而，这些成本远超混凝土、钢铁在生产使用过程中的碳排放价格。那么，如何更好地识别、考虑和评估密集型基础设施和耗能型建筑（如数据中心）的真实隐形碳成本呢？

Embodied carbon costs are mostly accrued at the construction stage of any project. However, such costs go further than simply the carbon price of concrete and steel manufacture and use. How best then to identify, consider and evaluate the real embodied carbon cost of infrastructure-dense and energy-intensive buildings such as a data center?

根据联合国环境规划署（UNEP）的数据，建筑的碳成本正在上升。联合国环境规划署全球建筑建设联盟 (GlobalABC) 发布的全球现状 告指出两个趋势：“建筑行业二氧化碳排放量创历史新高”，“GlobalABC最新跟踪发现建筑行业脱碳动力正在减弱。”

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the carbon cost of building is rising. The UNEP Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) global status report highlighted two trends. It says: “CO2 emissions from the building sector are the highest ever recorded” and “new GlobalABC tracker finds sector is losing momentum toward decarbonization.”

一个简单的事实是，建筑隐形碳排放离净零排放目标越来越远了。

The simple fact seems to be that emissions from embodied carbon in construction are getting further away from, and not closer to net zero.

固定碳成本？

A fixed carbon cost?

尽管不是所有建筑物都使用相同的隐形碳排放条款，但几乎所有建筑物的碳排放基本都是在生命周期前期产生的，无法随着时间的推移而减少。数据中心尤其如此。

But while it is obvious that not all buildings are the same in embodied carbon terms, in almost all cases these emissions are mostly created at the beginning of the building lifecycle and cannot be reduced over time. This is often and, in some cases, especially true in data centers.

例如新建一座50MW的数据中心，为了满足设计目标，需要比其他形式的商业地产（如办公室、仓储、零售店）配套更多的电力和冷却基础设施设备要。

When focusing on the data center as a building – say a new build 50MW facility – it is clear that in order to meet its design objective, it will require more power and cooling infrastructure equipment when compared with other forms of commercial real estate such as offices, warehousing and retail spaces.

对于数据中心来说，隐形碳包括所有非日常运营排放的以及日常使用能源和水产生的排放。包括资源开采、制造和运输过程中相关的排放，以及用于搭建建筑环境使用的材料和组件在安装过程中产生的排放。还包括全生命周期中维护、维修和更换，以及建筑拆除、运输、废物处理和处置等过程产生的排放。这些生命周期中产生的排放必须考虑到总的隐形碳成本中。

For data centers, embodied carbon includes all emissions not attributed to operations and the use of energy and water in its day to day running. This includes emissions associated with resource extraction, manufacturing, and transportation, as well as those emissions during the installation of materials and components used to create the built environment. It also includes lifecycle emissions from their ongoing use including maintenance, repair and replacements as well as the end-of-life activities of deconstruction, transportation, waste processing and disposal. These lifecycle emissions must be considered to account for the total embodied carbon cost.

由于关键设施的复杂性，在前期设计和设备采购阶段对所有隐含碳排放进行全面考虑，这比以往任何时候都更加重要。只有提前做出详细评估，运营方才能熟悉隐形碳减排的最佳方案。

The complexity of mission critical facilities makes it more important than ever to have a comprehensive process to consider and address all sources of embodied carbon emissions early in design and equipment procurement. Only by early and detailed assessment can operators inform best actions which can contribute to immediate embodied carbon reductions.

隐形碳排放+运营碳排放=全生命周期碳排放

Embodied Carbon + Operational Carbon = Whole Life Carbon

在建设和运营期的不同阶段，测量建筑物的隐含碳排放的边界分别是从摇篮到大门、从摇篮到现场、从摇篮到使用、从摇篮到坟墓的碳计算，其中“摇篮”指原材料开采的地方。

Boundaries to measure the embodied carbon and emissions of a building at different points in the construction and operating lifecycle are Cradle to Gate; Cradle to Site; Cradle to Use and Cradle to Grave carbon calculations, where “Cradle” is referenced as the earth or ground from which raw materials are extracted.

作为高水平基础设施，数据中心是与设备相关的、额外的、重要的考虑对象。依据温室气体协议标准，数据中心定义为Scope 3范畴——也被称为价值链排放。

For data centers these higher levels of infrastructure are equipment-related, additional, and important considerations. In embodied carbon terms they will be categorized under Scope 3 of the GHG Protocol Standards – also referred to as Value-Chain emissions.

按照Scope 3定义，大部分碳排放由上游活动产生，其中包括建筑材料。但对数据中心来说，日常维护和设施设备更换的碳排放尤其重要。

Much of the Scope 3 emissions will be produced by upstream activities that include and cover materials for construction. However, especially important for data centers is that they also include the carbon cost for ongoing maintenance and replacement of the facility plant and equipment.

因此，全生命周期碳排放计算包括隐形碳排放和运营碳排放。

That brings us to whole of life calculations which will combine embodied and operational carbon.

“全生命周期碳”计算法是结合隐形碳排放和运营碳排放分析建筑物整个生命周期的一种方法。该方法确定了隐形碳排放，以及材料、组件和建设活动产生的隐形碳排放计算，可用于不同设计和建设方案之间隐形碳排放的比较。

Combining embodied and operational emissions to analyse the entire lifecycle of a building throughout its useful life and beyond is the Whole Life Carbon approach. It ensures that the embodied carbon (CO2e emissions) together with embodied carbon of materials, components and construction activities are calculated and available to allow comparisons between different design and construction approaches.

优化PUE可以降低能耗，但PUE优化是未来运营期要考虑的。隐形碳排放在前期建设时就已经产生了。

Improvements in PUE can reduce energy use, but are not accounted for until years into the future. Embodied carbon is spent up-front as the building is constructed.

可持续发展不仅仅是运营效率

Sustainability is much more than operating efficiency

虽然需求和设施规模激增，通过提高效率和减少能源使用以改善PUE的举措已经减缓了运营碳排放。但设施运营能耗的减少是随着时间的推移而衡量的，未来5 年、10 年、30年才会考虑到。

The great efforts to improve efficiency and reduce energy use – as measured through improvements in PUE – have slowed operational carbon emissions even as demand and the scale of facilities has surged. But reducing operational energy of the facility is measured over time and such reductions are not accounted for until 5, 10, 30 years into the future.

然而，隐形碳主要是在建筑物前期建设时产生的。因此，数据中心在做任何分析和设计决策时都应考虑隐形碳。“全生命周期碳”计算法结合了隐形碳和运营碳，为减少全球温室气体的排放做出积极贡献，并且节省财务成本。

However, embodied carbon is mostly spent up-front as the building is constructed; there is, therefore a compelling reason to include embodied carbon within all analyses and data center design decisions. A ‘Whole Life’ carbon approach that considers the Embodied and the Operational emissions, provides the opportunity to contribute positively to global goals to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases – and will save financial costs.

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