Power, Cooling and Ventilation as part of Network Construction: Sustainable Construction Process for Conditions in Network Facilities

Abstract

There is a major transformation going on in the information technology and telecommunication industry. Telecommunication in Europe and Finland is already highly regulated, and sustainability reporting will bring more regulative demands starting from the financial year 2024. New network generations are increasing the electricity usage in the equipment facilities which is causing higher room temperatures, and cooling devices are needed more often to keep the temperature levels feasible. Hence there is a need for more comprehensive facility room conditions contemplation that takes the overall conditions into account before telecom equipment will be implemented. The purpose of the thesis is to describe how to combine cooling and ventilation equipment construction into the same assignments with electricity and power backup devices implementation to improve sustainability in the process. The commissioning company of the thesis is Telia Finland Oyj, a part of Telia Company whose headquarters are located in Stockholm, Sweden. The thesis uses qualitative and quantitative research to point out the process steps of the combined cooling and electricity systems, which can be made more sustainable. In the process, regulative trends concerning the industry are discussed, as those will also affect the sustainability of the networks. Additionally, to the technical process, the thesis studied how the process change was seen among the stakeholders, and through the interview questions untangled the further development paths for the process. The interviews connected to the study were conducted as a quantitative anonymous questionnaire among the closest process stakeholders. The findings from the research performed highlight that in order for the commissioner to have a more sustainable process in the network, further development must be conducted. Having the process technically the same for electricity and cooling assignments is only one step towards a wider sustainability approach in construction. Lifecycle management plays a crucial role in sustainable construction of equipment and facilities. By improved communication with stakeholders and developing the instructions there are better possibilities to reach the sustainability targets set by the company, and reducing travelling during the delivery. By searching new innovations and promoting circular economy in the supply chain it is possible to further improve the environmental sustainability of the process.