GreenGrid - CUE Factsheet

White Paper #32 – Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE): A Green Grid Data Centre Sustainability Metric

White Paper #32 (12/2010): Version 3

https://www.thegreengrid.org/en/resources/library-and-tools/241-Carbon-Usage-Effectiveness-(CUE)%3A-A-Green-Grid-Data-Center-Sustainability-Metric

Organisation env. accounting

 Scope 1  
 Scope 2  
 Scope 3

Product env. assessment 

 Life cycle approach  

 Use phase only

 GWP

 Energy (focus on secondary energy)

 Other environmental impacts

 KPIs (CUE)

Existing or new data centres

• Calculating the Carbon Usage Effectiveness, related to carbon emissions associated with operations of data centres
• Providing guidance to IT organisations to better understand and improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of their existing data centres or when deploying new data centre
• Comparing results with similar data centres

• Only operations of the data centre are covered; the full environmental burden of the life cycle of the data centre and IT equipment is not considered
• Electricity from the grid: the carbon emission factor used for the operations of the site is based on government’s published data for the region of operation for the year.
• Electricity produced on-site or CO₂ generated in other manners: the actual CO₂ emission data is used (i.e. from locally produced electricity or generating sources)
• Measured CO₂ emissions data (from local meters) is preferred, however calculations may be made using the generator manufacturer data for emission and fuel source

• The IT equipment energy includes the load associated with all of the IT equipment, including computer, storage and network equipment, along with supplemental equipment such as monitors, laptops used to monitor or control the data centre
• The total data centre energy includes the IT equipment energy and any equipment supporting the IT equipment load, including:
  • Power delivery components (generators, UPS)
  • Cooling system components
  • Other components such as data centre lighting
  • Any energy used, such as natural gas, etc.

None identified – to be filled later

[GHG Protocol]