Data centers in Switzerland - Electricity consumption and efficiency potential
According to ex-post analyses by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the information and communication sector (ICT) accounts for almost 5% of electricity consumption in Switzerland. More than half of this is accounted for by server rooms (SR) and data centers (DC). Increasing digitalization (households and companies) is leading to a sharp incrase in the demand for data processing, including communication and storage. At the same time, significant energy efficiency potentials have been identified in the area of server rooms and data centers.
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy would therefore like to monitor the development of Switzerland's digital infrastructure and its impact on energy efficiency. The project objectives are:
- to collect quantitative data (usable floor space, installed capacity, number of servers, electricity consumption, efficiency measures, etc.) from 2019 of data centers in Switzerland, divided into different categories (cloud services, data centers for third parties, company or internal data centers including server rooms).
- to show the development since the last survey in 2014 and the driving factors and, based on this, to estimate the development for the period 2020-2025.
- to show the remaining energy efficiency potential, also subdivided into the various data center categories
Reference projects
Motivations for Investment in Smart Technologies and Energy Efficiency: The Case of Residential Buildings
Through the MISTEE project, we analyse how households' investments in buildings' energy efficiency and smart technologies are motivated and what impact different policies can have.
Ex-post analysis of energy demand 2021
Together with Prognos and Infras, TEP carries out the ex-post analysis of the energy demand of 2021 in Switzerland. TEP Energy is responsible for the services and agriculture sectors.
Calculation Tool for 2000-Watt Sites II
Revised calculation tool for the evaluation of settlement areas regarding indicators of the 2000-watt society.
Country-specific Market Reports for Buildings
Building Market Briefs (BMB) is a Climate KIC initiative within the flagship Building Technologies Accelerator (BTA) that aims to gather and promote knowledge about the buildings' and construction sector to promote low carbon investment and scaling.
IEA ECB Annex 70: Analysis of Building Energy Data with a Scalable Building Stock Model
Relationship between building park modelling and real building and energy data.
Ex-Post Analysis of Energy Demand in the Swiss Service Sector
Together with Prognos and Infras, we periodically carry out ex-post analyses of the energy demand in Switzerland on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). TEP Energy is responsible for the sectors services and agriculture.
PUEDA+: Promotion of energy efficiency in data centers and server rooms
Program to promote energy efficiency in the Swiss IT industry
New Trends in Energy Demand Modelling
In this Horizon2020 project, the impact of new societal trends on the energy consumption are modelled and analysed.
Reference Values of Cooling Systems in Buildings
Compilation of cooling reference values and improvement of the data basis to have a better support for strategic building planning
Funding Programme SOKAS: System Optimisation of Industrial Refrigerating Plants
The subsidy programme SOKAS supports the sustainable system-wide energy optimisation of large cooling and refrigeration plants. In addition to lower energy costs, system operators benefit from an attractive subsidy of up to 40% of the total project costs.
REFLEX Project: Flexibility and Technological Development in the European Energy System
REFLEX focuses on techno-economic learning, fundamental energy system modelling and social and environmental life cycle analysis.
Heat Roadmap Europe (HRE) – Study on the European Heating and Cooling Market
In Europe, the energy system is to be decarbonised in the long term, i.e. no more CO2 emissions will be emitted. We estimate energy efficiencies cost potential curves for 14 European countries.
The Role of Gas Infrastructure in the Future Energy System
Energy policy decisions and technological developments lead to an increase in fluctuating renewable energy production. More flexibility in the power grid and storage possibilities is required to which the buildings' sector may contribute.
EEG Platform: Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Buildings (EEG)
Through the EEG platform, the developed actions from the EEG Action Plan can be jointly further developed and implemented throughout Switzerland.
CoolCity
Assessment of the potential for lake water use for heating and cooling in the city of Zurich
EEG Workshop: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies in Buildings (EEG)
The EEG Workshop on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Buildings (EEG) is part of the global programme "Energy Efficiency and Building Technology Accelerator" (EEB) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Climate-KIC.
CREAM – Integrating Climate Change Mitigation, Resource Efficiency and Adaptation in Building Stock Modelling
Objectives, strategies and measures in the field of climate protection, energy planning and the further development of energy networks in cities are designed using the Building Park Model (GPM) in a cross-sectoral manner.
Study on the Subsidiary Ban of Fossil-Fuelled Heating Systems
Swiss climate policy is facing major challenges, especially in the buildings sector. The study investigated the effects of a possible ban on fossil-fuelled heating systems from 2030, if the climate targets cannot otherwise be achieved.
Energy-Saving Contracting
Increasing energy efficiency is one of the central pillars of Swiss energy policy and energy-saving contracting contributes to this goal.
INSPIRE Tool: Energetic, Ecological and Economic Renovation of Buildings
With the INSPIRE tool you can calculate energy, ecological and economic indicators as well as strategies for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and primary energy consumption of buildings.
Mapping and Analyses of the Current and Future (2020-2030) Heating/Cooling Fuel Deployment (Fossil Fuels/Renewables) in Europe
The energy balances of statistical offices in many countries and Eurostat are often incomplete. This EU service contract maps current and future energy demand for heating and cooling.
Instruments for Implementing Efficiency Measures in Building Technology
Which instruments support the implementation of efficiency measures in building services engineering as effectively and efficiently as possible?
Extension of the Building Stock Model for the SIA Efficiency Path
Using the enhanced building stock model, the primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions of new buildings and renovation projects are compared with the target values to review the impact of energy policy objectives.
Analysis of the State of Insulation Materials in the Swiss Building Stock
With regard to energy and resource policy, we must ask ourselves how we will deal with insulating materials in the future.
Energy Supply Concept 2050 for the City of Zurich
The Energy Supply Concept 2050 used a scenario approach to show that the heat supply of the city of Zurich could meet the goals of the 2000-watt society.
Potential Assessment of Measures in the Field of Building Technology
Where are what potentials to increase energy efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in building services engineering?
Analysis of Market Opportunities and Potentials in the Heating and Cooling Sector
Evaluation of new market opportunities on behalf of a large Swiss electricity supplier.
Contributions to the ewz Energy Research Programme on the 2000-watt Society
«Energy Research City of Zurich» is a 10-year programme for applied energy research.
Economic Analysis of Measures for the Energy Strategy 2050 – Efficiency Regulations for Electrical Appliances
With the Energy Strategy 2050, the Federal Council is pursuing the goal of significantly reducing electricity consumption in Switzerland by 2050 compared with a reference development.
Electricity Efficiency of the Swiss Economy – Evaluation and Scenarios of the EnAW
The impact of EnAW's previous activities in the field of electricity efficiency is statistically evaluated and the future development is bottom-up estimated.
Pilot Study: Building Stock Model (BSM) for Office, School and Residential Buildings
In collaboration with the ETH Chair for Sustainable Building, we developed a pilot version of the building stock model for Switzerland and for the city of Zurich.