SÃO PAULO, May 20, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Scala Data Centers, the leading Latin American
platform of sustainable data centers in the Hyperscale market,
celebrates the success of its Proof of Concept (POC) confirming the
technical feasibility of using hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO),
known as green diesel, in its Caterpillar backup generators. This
innovation, pioneering in Latin
America, reinforces Scala's leadership in adopting
responsible and sustainable practices.
Derived from renewable sources like vegetable oils, green diesel
undergoes a hydro-treatment process, transforming it into a
high-quality fuel with reduced environmental impact. Replacing
fossil diesel with HVO can decrease greenhouse gas emissions by up
to 85%, consolidating Scala's commitment to corporate
sustainability.
During the POC – conducted by Scala's Center of Excellence in
Engineering (CoE) in collaboration with the Operations Team and
Sotreq, Caterpillar's dealer in Brazil – HVO demonstrated excellent
performance in backup generators, maintaining critical resilience
of data centers without requiring changes to existing
equipment.
Agostinho Villela, Scala's Chief
Technology Officer, emphasizes: "The transition to HVO aligns
perfectly with our strategy to ensure continuous and sustainable
operations without compromising the quality and reliability our
customers expect from us."
"We closely monitored Scala's test on Caterpillar equipment in a
pioneering initiative in Latin
America," adds Mauricio
Garcia, Director of Sotreq's Power Unit. "The use of HVO in
generators opens up a universe of possibilities, in addition to
ensuring lower maintenance costs, preserving equipment, and
reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
While we've made significant strides in technical and
environmental advancements, Scala Data Centers acknowledges the
current economic challenges surrounding the implementation of
hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) in our operations within the
Latin American context, as it is 3 times more expensive than
diesel. We closely monitor market trends, hoping to identify
opportunities that could make the use of HVO economically viable on
a larger scale. By taking the lead in this endeavor, Scala
positions itself as an industry pioneer and encourages broader
market participation in the direction we advocate. We anticipate
that movements like ours will raise awareness within the supply
chain about the substantial demand potential for HVO, prompting
stakeholders to explore more attractive commercial terms conducive
to its widespread adoption. Our aim is to stimulate the industry to
envision and realize the future benefits of sustainable energy
solutions.
Christiana Weisshuhn, Chief
Communications and Sustainability Officer, adds: "Green diesel is
more than an alternative to fossil diesel; it is a fundamental
piece in our vision of a sustainable future. We look forward to
beginning the transition to HVO as it becomes economically viable,
continuing to lead by example in sustainable data center
management."
"This proof of concept reinforces our unwavering commitment to
providing excellent services to our customers, in an aspect that is
fundamental to them," shares Eugênio Cruz, Data Center Operations
VP. "In addition to reducing emissions, green diesel offers
additional advantages, as tank cleaning and rigorous quality
controls, which are necessary when using current biodiesel, will no
longer be required, ensuring high availability of our sites."
When HVO enters commercial-scale utilization, the plan is to
begin replacing the fuel in its tanks. This reinforces Scala's
leading position in the industry, spearheading the transition to
cleaner energy solutions and setting new standards for
sustainability in the data center sector.
This remarkable advancement by Scala Data Centers sets new
sustainability benchmarks in the data center industry and signals a
paradigm shift in global industrial practices. Scala establishes
itself as a beacon of innovation by demonstrating that cutting-edge
technology and environmental responsibility can harmoniously
coexist. With eyes set on the future, the company invites partners,
customers, and the global community to join in this transformative
journey, marking a historic moment for Scala and the entire
technology industry.
About Scala Data Centers
Scala Data Centers is the leading sustainable data center platform
in the Latin America Hyperscale market. Based in Brazil and backed by DigitalBridge, it was
developed to meet and exceed the growing demand for digital access
in Latin America. Scala has a
highly qualified team of over 1,000 professionals and applies a
flexible and innovative approach to delivering exceptional
colocation services for Hyperscale customers, cloud software,
service providers, and large companies. We customize
state-of-the-art solutions for each client with high availability,
high rate of energy efficiency, and very high density capable of
supporting the AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning)
workloads. All this is combined with best sustainability practices
guided by our ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) program. For
more information, visit https://scaladatacenters.com/en/.
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SOURCE Scala Data Centers