Big announcements of renewable-energy deals by the hyperscalers have become commonplace, and it’s a positive trend. For example, Google’s hyper-scale data centers have been pioneers in renewable energy programs.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) data center industry expected growth in the region can be estimated to be $591.14 million by 2028 from $433.83 million in 2021, according to a recent report, stands to make a steady gain in the current decade if they push environmental sustainability and energy savings, as the region is keen on investing in renewable energy sources. 

With the cost of power in a data center being high, rising and unpredictable energy costs and levies linked with pending carbon emission regulations considered, operators are interested in renewables’ role in lowering and stabilizing energy costs, the report states. 

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority launched the first phase of MEA’s largest solar-powered data center to strengthen its green economy and focus on sustainable development.

Expensive photovoltaic solar arrays, climate conditions, and space constraints make rooftop solar, wind, geothermal, and waste heat reclamation attractive data center possibilities.

Rooftop solar, wind, geothermal, and waste heat reclamation are viable data center options due to the high cost of photovoltaic solar arrays, climate conditions, and space constraints. Due to costs and real estate restrictions, wind turbines are less common, yet interest in this resource is showing steady growth. 

The report revealed that in 2020, the UAE held the largest share of the data center generator market in MEA.