Green Ops: Measurable Sustainability in Data Centers through eBPF and Managed Grafana

In 2026, sustainability in the IT sector is no longer a “nice-to-have” for marketing but a regulatory necessity. With the tightening of CSRD reporting obligations and the full implementation of NIS-2, along with specific energy efficiency requirements for data centers, the mid-sized sector is under pressure. Companies must not only estimate the energy consumption of their digital value chain but also accurately demonstrate it at the workload level.

The challenge: Traditional monitoring solutions usually capture only the total consumption of a host, which is worthless in dynamic Kubernetes clusters with hundreds of microservices. The solution lies in deep system integration via eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter). In combination with Prometheus and Grafana, we transform abstract CPU cycles into reliable ESG data (Environmental, Social, and Governance) without impacting application performance through sidecars.

Precise Consumption Measurement at Pod Level via eBPF

Traditional metrics via cAdvisor provide CPU limits and usage but no direct conclusions about electrical power consumption (P=U⋅I). By using eBPF-based exporters (such as Kepler - Kubernetes Efficient Power Level Exporter), we directly access the RAPL interfaces (Running Average Power Limit) of modern CPUs and the performance counters of the kernel.

• The Advantage: eBPF operates in the kernel space. This means minimal overhead and the ability to assign energy consumption values directly to a specific process context (and thus a Kubernetes pod).
• Business Value: You receive a cost-causer breakdown of electricity costs and CO2 emissions per service or tenant. This is the technical basis for internal chargeback and external reporting.

Data Aggregation with Prometheus: Long-term Metrics for Auditing

The raw data obtained via eBPF is ingested into a Prometheus instance (part of the ayedo Managed App catalog). Here, we use specific recording rules to convert the transient real-time values into meaningful time series for annual ESG reporting.

• Architecture: We rely on a scalable storage solution like Thanos or Mimir to guarantee the retention periods of the CSRD (often several years) without slowing down query speed in Grafana.
• Business Value: Audit security. During an audit, you can precisely demonstrate how efficiency optimizations (e.g., by refactoring from Java to Go or Rust) have impacted actual energy consumption.

Visualization and Reporting in Grafana

In Grafana, we combine technical metrics with the emission factors of your data center operator. We create dashboards that abstract between the technical view (Watts per Request) and the strategic view (grams of CO2 per transaction).

• Features: Use of variable queries to filter by namespaces, teams, or projects. Integration of alerts when a deployment exceeds the defined “Carbon Intensity” thresholds.
• Business Value: Maximum transparency for stakeholders. Management can see the “Carbon Footprint” of the entire IT infrastructure at the push of a button, accelerating decision-making for future investments.

Conclusion

Green Ops is the logical evolution of FinOps in 2026. Those who equip their Cloud-Native infrastructure with eBPF-based monitoring today solve two problems simultaneously: They meet strict EU regulations and optimize their operating costs by identifying sources of energy “waste.” At ayedo, we deliver this sovereignty turnkey – with open-source components like Grafana and Prometheus, without lock-in, and operated in highly secure European infrastructures.

Want to learn how we can integrate eBPF monitoring into your existing architecture? Let’s conduct an audit of your current monitoring strategy together.

FAQ Green-Ops

1. Why is eBPF better for Green Ops than traditional monitoring? eBPF allows metrics to be collected directly in the kernel without changing application code or using heavy sidecar containers. This minimizes the “Observer Effect,” where monitoring itself consumes significant energy, while providing granularity down to the level of individual system calls.

2. How are power consumption values (Watts) converted into CO2 equivalents? The calculation is based on the emission factor of the local power mix (gCO2​e/kWh). In Managed Grafana, we store these factors as dynamic variables, so reports are automatically calculated correctly when switching to a green power provider or during time-of-day fluctuations (Marginal Carbon Intensity).

3. Does Green Ops require special hardware in the data center? No. Modern x86_64 and ARM64 CPUs have integrated sensors and interfaces (such as Intel RAPL) that can be read by eBPF tools. Our Managed Apps are optimized to extract this data on standard server hardware in European data centers.

4. Is the use of eBPF compatible with security requirements like NIS-2? Yes, absolutely. Since eBPF programs are verified in the kernel before execution, it ensures they do not crash the system or allow unauthorized memory access. In fact, the observability gained through eBPF strengthens compliance with security standards by providing deeper insights into system behavior.

5. Can I use these metrics for my official ESG reporting? Yes. By storing raw data in Prometheus and transparently preparing it in Grafana, you create a data-based foundation that meets the traceability requirements under the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive).