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w00t! Unisys Completes Green Data Center
Now that tempers have cooled, it didn't seem fair to kick off w00t day on such a negative note. So let's remedy that...
Nevermind those green data centers of the future. Unisys announced that the company has finished an energy efficient expansion to its server farm in Eagan, Minnesota today. The site and its (original) 100,000 square foot data center provide outsourcing services to the firm's customers.
And now, they have an additional 17,000 sq ft of raised floor, which keeps computing gear aloft by 30 inches and allows for improved airflow. A glycol air conditioning system keeps things cool at lower consumption rates. In fact, it's up to 44 percent more efficient than conventional HVAC setups, according to the company.
Inside, Unisys is embracing virtualization, which they expect to help cut carbon emissions by 67 percent versus single-workload servers. And IT staffers get to exert fine-grained control over power and cooling in the form of power management capabilities that can be accessed locally or remotely from another Unisys location.
As part of the project, they also added 12,000 sq ft to the support area, which houses switches, controllers, generators, and UPS equipment.
And who doesn't like that new data center smell? In any case, the story doesn't end there.
During its construction, the company was able to recycle 150,000 pounds of building materials -- 75 tons of the stuff -- including cabling and carpeting. Unisys also embarked on a "3.5-acre oak savanna restoration" that involved removing an invasive species of shrub called buckthorn. Around the site, the grounds have been restored to a natural prairie setting, which eliminates the need for all manner of chemicals and reduces maintenance compared to a manicured lawn.
Victoria Bond, director of North America data center infrastructure for Unisys, hints that her company's green ambitions won't end in Minnesota.
"Unisys has a company-wide commitment to sustainable facilities design, energy efficiency and reduction in carbon footprints. The expansion of the Eagan center is a key step in furthering that commitment. By expanding the Eagan center, Unisys is providing customers access to the latest and greatest enterprise computing technology while enhancing cost and energy efficiency."
Surely, her customers approve. But just in case: w00t!
This is barely a green data center compared to AISO.Net. What about having your web site powered by solar....AISO.Net (http://www.aiso.net) is 100% solar powered, both their servers and data center are powered by onsite solar panels. And they also have a partnership with Co-Op America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Plus, they are doing more then just making sure their electricity is green. Their data center and office is green too by using environmentally friendly air conditioners, solar tubes to bring in natural light, a propane powered generator instead of diesel, VMWare virtualization to reduce their server electricity usage, 6 watt energy saving desktop computers for their employees, and soon to be LEED certified as a green data center, the only public one in North America, at least that I have found so far. So as far as the environmental concern, I think AISO is more concerned about the environment then any other of its competitors will ever be.