University Data Centres: Policy and business case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The report evaluates three scenarios for reducing the carbon footprint of university data centres: relocation to zero-carbon facilities, relocation to low-emission urban grids with waste heat recovery, and modifying existing centres for waste heat capture. Analysis of three universities showed that only the University of Alberta's waste heat capture scenario yielded a positive net present value (NPV) from carbon credit sales. The combined annual carbon footprint for the studied centres was 11,305 tonnes of CO2e. The study concludes that while individual university projects are generally not economically attractive via carbon credits, a green community cloud operated by CANARIE offers a more viable economic and leadership opportunity.

• The combined annual carbon footprint for the three evaluated main ICT data centres was 11,305 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), with specific contributions from the University of Alberta (5,288), Dalhousie (5,010), and Ottawa (1,007).
• Of the three scenarios investigated—relocation to zero-carbon facilities, relocation to low-emission urban grids with waste heat use, and modifying existing centres for waste heat capture—only the third scenario for the University of Alberta resulted in a positive net present value (NPV) from the sale of carbon credits.

APA

Vetter,, J.-F. L. C. M. (2010). University Data Centres: Policy and business case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/university-data-centres-policy-and-business-case-reducing-greenhouse-gas

Chicago

Vetter,, Jean-François Lévesque,Chris Caners,Don MacLean,Tony. University Data Centres: Policy and business case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/university-data-centres-policy-and-business-case-reducing-greenhouse-gas.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vetter, |first1=Jean-François Lévesque,Chris Caners,Don MacLean,Tony |title=University Data Centres: Policy and business case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=23 September 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/university-data-centres-policy-and-business-case-reducing-greenhouse-gas |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vetter2010university, author = {Vetter,, Jean-François Lévesque,Chris Caners,Don MacLean,Tony}, title = {{University Data Centres: Policy and business case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/university-data-centres-policy-and-business-case-reducing-greenhouse-gas}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }