GE sets a new benchmark for green data centre design

David Bicknell

almost 2 years ago 0 Comments

It no doubt helps if you're a company of the size and economic might of GE when it comes to designing and building your own data centres.

That said, a pioneering new data centre unveiled by GE on the original site where the world's first commercial computer was deployed in 1954, is setting new standards for energy efficiency and use of sustainable construction materials.

The new data centre, developed by GE's IT department is based at GE Appliances & Lighting in Louisville, Kentucky in the US is one of the world's first to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification, a rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for projects that go above and beyond standard building codes to create sustainable, energy-efficient buildings.

To get the Platinum rating, GE ensured the data centre set iand exceeded some key targets for energy efficiency and sustainability:

• 98.3% of the walls, floors, and roof were existing space that didn't require new construction
• The data centre is 34% more energy-efficient than a comparable code-compliant building
• It reduces by 50% the amount of space used by the previous data centre by using high-density servers
• Water consumption inside the building is being reduced by 42% of the industry baseline by using ultra low-flow fixtures
• 50.7% of construction materials were sourced regionally
• 30.2% of the building materials were recyclable materials
• 85.4% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill (mostly through recycling)

There are some more details here

I'll be covering some of the issues surrounding Green technology both here and in my Greentech column in the next issue of IMIS Journal, which will be out shortly.

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