Kao Data has announced a huge step towards its net-zero ambitions by switching from diesel to HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel to fuel its backup generators at its Harlow campus. Koa Data is now the first data center company in the UK to make this change and has achieved this through its partnership with Crown Oil.
As well as being one of the cleanest fuels as a second-generation, advanced renewable diesel alternative, HVO has better burning efficiency and eliminates microbial growth.
By making the switch, the company will eliminate 90% of net CO2 and significantly reduce nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide emissions. As a signatory of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP), the company is now closer to becoming a fully carbon-neutral data centre operator by 2030.
Speaking about this step towards carbon neutrality, Gérard Thibault, Chief Technology Officer at Kao Data, said: "This pioneering approach to replace our generator's diesel provision with HVO fuel, is a key step in the company's efforts to become Net Zero, and a further demonstration of our leadership in the international data centre sustainability field."
He added: "This move effectively eliminates fossil fuels from our data centre operations, and helps us reduce Scope 3 emissions in our customers' supply chain, while delivering no degradation to the service they receive. Most importantly, it shows how our industry can take a simple and highly beneficial step forward for the good of the environment, ahead of COP26."
