Climate change mitigation and adaptation are critical challenges of the 21st century . At the core of these challenges is the issue of energy , more specifically , our global energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels .

There are two ways to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions to successfully limit global warming : By going for cleaner energy sources ( for example , substituting non-combustible renewable sources for fossil fuels ) and reducing overall energy consumption by saving energy .

At the current growth rate , data centers could consume 6 % of the world ’ s energy by 2025 .

Lumen is aware of inherent risks to global warming and therefore developed several initiatives to reduce our internal energy consumption in our data centers , being more efficient or using sources that generate less carbon footprint .

In the case of our main buildings , which are large consumers of energy and in countries that regulate energy intake , we buy our power from suppliers that use renewable sources .

We have installed solar panels in lower consumption facilities ( telecommunications nodes ) to feed part of our demand .

We have also established agreements with companies that generate energy through solar panels for sites with lower consumption . Part of our aggregate

consumption adds solar generation into the network , consequently compensating for the effect of nonrenewable sources .

The replacement of equipment and those installed in new projects already incorporate principles of maximum energy efficiency , such as ‘ free cooling ’, helping us use a lower amount of energy .

We conduct constant verification processes regarding its parameters for the operational electromechanical infrastructure equipment , recalibrating them to operate at the best efficiency .

The issue of energy consumption in data centers is not minor since data centers today consume more than 2 % of all global electricity and will also have exponential growth . At the current growth rate , data centers could consume 6 % of the world ’ s energy by 2025 .

If corporations like ours , with this type of business , are not aware of the risks , we are not contributing our grain of sand to reduce global warming .

Power Usage Effectiveness , or PUE , is a widely used term in the data center industry that refers to the ratio of the total energy entering a data center to the point used by IT equipment within the data center ( cooling , heating , ventilation , power conversion and distribution , lighting , utility outlets ).

The PUE ratio can vary from 1.0 to infinity . However , an ideal PUE would be 1.0 , which means 100 % efficiency , using all power consumed only by IT equipment , and not wasting fuel on distribution , but it is almost impossible to achieve . Lumen has been lowering its PUE with the energy efficiencies it has implemented .

34 INTELLIGENTCIO LATAM www . intelligentcio . com

Intelligent CIO LATAM Issue 08 | Page 34

Climate change mitigation and adaptation are critical challenges of the 21st century . At the core of these challenges is the issue of energy , more specifically , our global energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels .