CO2 footprint MPCDF with picture of MPCDF building

CO2-footprint of MPCDF

Information about power consumption at MPCDF

July 12, 2023

MPCDF receives its electricity through the Max Planck Institut for Plasmaphysics (IPP).
The IPP-contracts with the electricity providers usually run over a period of three years,
i.e. from 2015 to 2017,  from 2018 to 2020, from 2021 to 2023, and currently from 2024 to 2026.
(details see at the end of the page)

Table of Energy Consumption by Year and CO2 footprint *

Year
Energy Consumption
[GWh]
HPC
[%]
HPC-Efficiency ***
[core-h/kWh]
CO 2 of previous year
[g/kWh] or [t/GWh]
Total CO 2 -Emission
[t]
2025-Q1
~8.83
407 **
~3,600
2024
37.4816
45.8
147.7
407
15,255.0
2023
40.9133
55.9
101.8
219
8,960.0
2022
42.8758
60.9
94.1
239
9,861.4
2021
41.2314
59.5
86.3
199
8,205.0
2020
36.9216
60.4
68.6
276
10,190.5
2019
31.5842
58.7
72.5
303
9,570.0
2018
28.3808
58.8
69.2
289
8,202.1
2017
23.8052
50.9
76.9
383
9,117.3
2016
21.6220
47.6
80.4
380
8,216.4
2015
19.7659
46.3
77.6
447
8,835.4

 

* Since only the numbers of the previous year are easily and timely available, these numbers are taken to calculate the CO2 footprint of MPCDF computing resources in each year.

** Number of pre-previous year. Numbers of previous year available earliest by November.

*** The value for the HPC-efficiency is based on the accounted core-hours, which are combination of CPU and GPU hours. The number is close to the maximum since the utilization of the HPC systems is about 95%. The efficiency of the CPUs of the clusters is roughly one to two years behind and the utilization of the clusters is usually lower than 95%.

Distribution of Electricity Generation*

* Values according to the electricity providers (values for Germany in parenthesis):
2014-2016: e.vita
2017-2019: EnergieDeutschland
2020-2022: DREWAG
2023-2025: Sachsenenergie

Year
CO 2 [t/GWh]
Nuclear [%]
Fossile [%]
Green [%]
2023
407 (324)
6.5 (1.5)
43.1 (39.0)
50.4 (59.5)
2022
219 (377)
5.4 (10.3)
30.7 (40.8)
63.9 (48.9)
2021
239 (350)
8.1 (12.9)
31.7 (41.9)
60.2 (45.2)
2020
199 (310)
6.8 (12.4)
27.9 (38.6)
65.3 (49.0)
2019
276 (352)
11.1 (13.5)
33.1 (42.2)
55.8 (44.3)
2018
303 (421)
8.8 (13.0)
37.5 (48.8)
53.7 (38.2)
2017
289 (435)
9.0 (13.0)
39.0 (50.0)
52.0 (37.0)
2016
383 (471)
9.6 (14.3)
44.5 (53.7)
45.9 (32.0)
2015
380 (476)
11.1 (15.4)
42.7 (52.8)
46.2 (31.8)
2014
447 (508)
45.7 (55.3)
40.3 (27.9)

 

* Values according to the electricity providers (values for Germany in parenthesis):
2014-2016: e.vita
2017-2019: EnergieDeutschland
2020-2022: DREWAG
2023-2025: Sachsenenergie

 

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