Abstract

Regulatory frameworks push data centre operators towards renewable energy usage. The available energy in the energy grid is a mix of different energy sources, both fossil and renewable. The rapid growth of data centres has led to a significant increase in energy consumption and, thus, emissions. The operation of data centres can be adjusted depending on the current emissions of the energy mix. This paper presents an analysis of multiple studies to develop a comprehensive estimate of the emission intensity of different energy sources. It introduces a mapping of each data source to its emissions based on the studies. Furthermore, a Digital Twin is used to integrate energy production data from the energy grid and live energy usage data from the data centre. The Digital Twin allows transparent and real-time emissions tracking and provides a foundation for carbon-aware data centre operation.

DOI: 10.15439/2026F9143