Paint the Roof White and Other Tips For Building a Green Data Center –Plus, Video
Green data centers continue to get plenty of press because, let’s face it, they’re energy hogs. What’s more, they emit massive amounts of CO2. Implementing energy efficiencies at your data center will not only save your company money, it will help you achieve your environmental goals, as well. (For excellent examples, see posts about recent initiatives at UPS and Sun.) But, what if you’re only in the development stage, planning to construct a data center later this year? Are there certain guidelines you should follow to limit its environmental impact?
If you’re looking for direction regarding building a green data center, let me recommend an excellent 8-page sample chapter from “Grow a Greener Data Center,” by Douglas Alger,Cisco’s IT Architect for Physical Infrastructure. In the chapter, titled Green Data Center Design and Build Strategies, Alger discusses a wide range of issues you need to consider before building your eco-friendly facility. For instance, if you’re in the enviable position of being able to evaluate different potential data center sites, he advises that you think about everything from energy sources and workforce proximity to weather, building codes, and local zoning.
Alger also discusses green options for building materials and landscaping, how to maintain air quality, how to make the construction phase greener, and why it’s important to choose efficient fixtures and appliances. (Interesting note here: Alger reports that Cisco installed more than 400 waterless urinals at its San Jose campus in 2007 and 2008. Switching to these from conventional toilets is saving an estimated 8.5 million gallons (32.2 million liters) of water per year.) In addition, the sample chapter contains a detailed discussion about the nuts and bolts of optimizing the physical configuration of servers using a distributed hierarchy for structured cabling.
To see how the insurance giant Allstate incorporated green features like these to construct one of the most energy-efficient data center’s in the country, check out this videoclip (and yes, there’s a white roof):
