August 7th, 2009
Fortune Data Centers uses energy efficiency metrics as competitive differentiation
Fortune Data Centers, which opened a new “green” data center in San Jose, Calif., back in April 2009, is wooing prospective tenants with its high efficiency claims — power usage effectiveness (PUE) measures of 1.37 at full load — and its likely certification as the first operational data center in California with a Gold designation under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
John Sheputis, CEO of the data center operations company, said his company estimates that by moving businesses out of legacy data centers and into its new facility it can help save its tenants up to $4 million. That’s roughly the amount of energy needed to power 3,800 “average” U.S. homes. Environmentally speaking, this translates into the reduction of about 27,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Sheputis contends that there is a shortage of data center space in Silicon Valley right now and that many of the existing facilities are woefully inefficient. His company hopes to differentiate itself from the competition with its efficiency message.
The initial phase of the new 78,000-square-foot building can handle 7.86 megawatts of IT critical load in two data rooms that offer 43,000 feet of usable floor space.
Sheputis believes the biggest green architectural advantage of its new facility is Fortune Data Centers’ decision to supply cold air via an overhead plenum and use insulated ducts for the hot air return. The hot and cold aisles in the data rooms are contained for tighter control of air flow. “The biggest source of waste in a data center is the mixing of hot and cold air,” he says.
The facility also uses ambient cooling, pulling in cool air during the relatively temperate evenings in Silicon Valley.
As far as earning points towards its LEED designation, Fortune Data Center used a team led by DPR Construction, Rosendin Electric, Therma and Dowler Gruman Architects to handle the buildout. Approximately 96 percent of the waste created on the site was either recycled or reused during the construction process. All paints, adhesives, sealants and coatings used on the property are low volatile organic compound (VOC) and the building management system includes power and environmental capabilities. The facility also uses motion sensors, which means that lights won’t go on unless there’s someone in that area. Hewlett-Packard’s EYP Mission Critical Facilities organization assisted with the Level 5 commissioning.
Here are more details about the new Fortune Data Centers facility in San Jose.
Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist in the New York area with more than 20 years experience covering the high-tech industry. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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