Singtel inches closer to net-zero emissions with solar-powered Bedok Data Centre

As a part of Singtel's net-zero emissions sustainability goal by 2050, the telco has been converting their energy supply and efficiency towards greener, cleaner alternatives. The latest milestone in their sustainability strategy is the successful installation of solar energy panels at Bedok Data Centre.

The solar installation at Bedok Data Centre is responsible for producing 10 per cent of the data centre's energy needs, working out to some 2,059MWh (roughly the energy needed to power 462 four-room HDB flats a month).

The installation was only completed just last month (March 2020), making it not only one of the latest, but also one of Singtel's largest clean energy generation efforts to date.

The entire array is 4,292 solar panels, roughly taking up the size of two football fields (8,205sqm), and is capable of offsetting 864 tonnes of carbon per year.

“Sustainability has always been a core focus of Singtel, and a cornerstone of our sustainability efforts is our aspiration to leaving the smallest environmental footprint even as our business continues to expand," said Mr Andrew Buay, Vice President of Group Sustainability at Singtel. 

"This project is an important step in our strategy to make the transition to a clean energy future. We also recognise that our green initiatives are increasingly important to customers, particularly enterprises that outsource their ICT operations to us and want to reduce their own carbon footprint too."

"To deliver against our goal of reaching net-zero by 2050, we continue to explore long-term renewable energy supply options, invest in technology to improve energy efficiency across our network infrastructure and operating systems, and work with partners in the supply chain.”

Currently, all of Singtel's data centres (including this newly-furnished Bedok Data Centre) are SS 564-certified, which means they pretty much adhere to a national-level benchmark that defines sustainable data centres in our country (we have several).

To learn more about Singtel's sustainability efforts, you can refer to their latest report here.

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.