Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation(iCET)
Copyright©2006-2013
THE MODERN DATA CENTER
TRADITIONAL COMPUTER DATA CENTERS are contained facilities which house the
many large computer systems and associated components in isolated,
temperature controlled rooms. Typically, a data center houses:
• Telecommunications systems
• Storage systems
• HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) systems
• Security systems
• Redundant and backup systems (i.e., redundant storage systems, emergency
backup power generation)
Sources: wikipedia.org; datacenterknowledge.com
THE MODERN DATA CENTER
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS for data centers may ask for a single room of a
building, one or more floors, or an entire building. A few key design
aspects:
• Site selection: proximity to available power grids, telecommunications
infrastructure, networking services, transportation lines and other
environmental factors to be taken into consideration for data center
design.
• Electrical power: backup power consists of one or more
uninterruptible power supplies, battery banks, and/or diesel
generators.
• Modularity and Flexibility: essential in allowing for a data center to
grow and change over time; how readily upgradeable or
interchangeable a data center’s components are.
Sources: wikipedia.org; datacenterknowledge.com
“MODULAR” DATA CENTERS
A RECENT TREND in the industry is the building of
“modular” data centers. These comprise of
two types of form factors:

Often referred to as containerized data
centers or portable modular data centers,
this type fits data center equipment
(servers, storage and networking
equipment) into a standard shipping
container, which is then transported to a
desired location. (PORTABILITY)

A center that fits data center equipment
into a facility composed of prefabricated
components that can be quickly built on a
site and added to as capacity is needed.
(QUICK BUILD & CUSTOMIZATION)
Sources: wikipedia.org
GROWTH OF INTERNET USAGE
THE DIGITAL UNIVERSE will grow 44 times larger over the
course of the decade, due in part to the increasing use of
social media, mobile usage and cloud computing1. This in
turn translates to a greater demand for data centers.
AS A COUNTRY, China has seen amazing growth in internet
usage over the recent years:
•China has had 538 million Internet users and the
Internet penetration rate has reached 39.9% by the end
of June 2012. The first half of 2012 witnessed an
increase of 24.5 million Internet users, with the Internet
penetration rate up 1.6%2.
•By the end of June 2012, the number of mobile Internet
users in China has reached 388 million, an increase of
32.7 million over the end of 20112.
•By the end of June 2012, China has had 146 million
rural Internet users, increasing by 14.64 million over the
end of 20112.
Sources: (1) International Data Corporation; (2) CNNIC
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS
A KEY ISSUE for modern data centers is the amount of power drawn to run
these facilities.
•By 2012, the cost of power for the data center is expected to exceed
the cost of the original capital investment1.
•For higher power-density facilities, electricity costs account for over
10% of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a data center2. In
addition, data centers use diesel generators for backup power and
major energy sources that heavily rely on coal production to produce
electricity, contributing to the environmental hazard of running large,
power hungry facilities.
•Information and communications technologies contribute 2% of
global carbon emissions, with data centers accounting for 14% of
that footprint3.
•At this trend, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from data centers
are projected to more than double from 2007 levels by 20203.
Sources: (1) US Department of Energy 2010; (2) J Koomey et al, Intel 2009; (3) The Climate Group, 2008
DEVELOPING EFFICIENCY STANDARDS
POWER USAGE EFFECTIVENESS (PUE) is a measure, developed
by The Green Grid, of how efficiently computer data center
uses its power; specifically, how much of the power is
actually used by the computing equipment (in contrast to
cooling and other OVERHEAD). Average data centers have a
PUE between 1.8 – 2.5.
LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (LEED) standard developed
by the US Green Building Council consists of a suite of rating systems for the
design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Categories considered include Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and
Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Levels
of certifications rank from Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Sources: wikipedia.org; thegreengrid.org; usgbc.org; datacenterknowledge.com
GREEN DATA CENTERS IN THE US
APPLE’S LEED-PLATINUM data center in
Maiden, North Carolina, built by Holder
Construction, utilizes two 100-acre solar
power farms that generates 20MW of
power each, as well as a Bloom Energy
developed
biogas-powered
power
generator (using biogas from
nearby
landfills) to add an additional 4.8MW.
Apple estimates that, upon completion,
60% of the center’s power will be supplied
by those on-site renewable-energy power
sources. Apple aims to make it a zeroemission site. Other planned energy
efficient measures include:
• Chilled water storage system to improve
chiller efficiency (for HVAC systems)
• Precision cool air distribution system
Sources: wired.com; datacenterknowledge.com
GREEN DATA CENTERS IN THE US
Facebook’s LEED-Gold Prineville Data
Center in Prineville, Oregon built by DPR
Construction has a capacity of 28MW
and a PUE rating of 1.06 – 1.08. It uses
an innovative cooling system created
for the unique climate characteristics of
central Oregon. In addition, it also
utilizes an evaporative cooling system
and an airside economizer that brings
in 100% ambient air1. On average, the
facility consumes 28 gallons per
minute, while other local industrial
users consume 60 -173 gallons per
minute2. Not only does the facility use
energy from local power supplier Pacific
Power, it also has built solar arrays to
power office use3.
Sources: (1) dpr.com; datacenterknowledge.org (2), (3)
THE KEY TO GREEN DATA CENTERS
GREEN DATA CENTERS address two issues which plague the average data center:
1.The power required to run the actual equipment (CPU’s, memory, hard drives,
etc).
2.The power required to cool the equipment (HVAC).
REDUCING THE POWER required will effectively lessen not only the energy
consumption but also the impact on environment. Green solutions include:
• More efficient hardware components and software systems (e.g., systems
virtualization)
• Innovative cooling systems
• Using natural ways to cool equipment (evaporation, natural chillers)
• Building near advantageous natural resources or environments (rivers, cold
climates).
• Effective server and rack management for better air-flow
US-CHINA GREEN DATA CENTER ALLIANCE PROPOSAL
US-CHINA CLEAN TECH CENTER (UCCTC) is a cooperative program between
the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Innovation Center for Energy
and Transportation (iCET). Please visit www.uschinacleantech.org and
www.icet-usa.org to learn more about the program.
UCCTC proposes the formation of a US-China Green Data Center Alliance
(UCGDCA) to build sustainable, energy efficient data center solutions for
Chinese companies. Current US technology already available is an ideal
source for Chinese businesses seeking green technology. With previous
experience working with local, state and national governments to forge
alliances and best practices, UCCTC is committed to bridging US and
Chinese companies across the international divide.
US-BASED DATA CENTER BUILDERS
Holder Construction – US based construction company has built LEED certified data
centers for major companies including Fannie Mae and Apple. Partner with The Green
Grid.
Turner Construction – California based construction company. Built LEED certified
data centers across California and USA for Columbia University, Fujitsu, Motorola.
DPR – large national commercial contractor based in Redwood City, CA. Built
Facebook Prineville Data Center as well as centers for AMD, E*TRADE, and others
across the US. All LEED certified. Partner of The Green Grid.
Hornbaker Group – formerly Power Loft Services, a Alexandria, VA based company.
Specializes in development of high-density, high-security data centers. Built COPT DC6 (formerly Power Loft @ Innovation), a LEED-Gold data center with a PUE of 1.281.
Sources: (1) SCMP; (2) Wired
US-BASED DATA CENTER BUILDERS
Digital Realty –a San Francisco, CA based multinational data center company which builds and
maintains data centers around the world. Member of the Green Grid initiative. Builds data
centers to LEED certification standards (BREEAM in Europe). Offers a variety of data center
solutions to fit any consumer need. Began construction of a center in Hong Kong in 2012,
the first China-based operation for the company2. The company has also expressed great
interest to partner with mainland developers and service providers for potential centers in
Beijing and Shanghai2.
Vantage Data Centers – California based Data Center Solutions company. Has built LEEDPlatinum data centers to cater to large cloud-based IT companies including a $3-million lease
to Mozilla3. Heavily focused on building green data centers. Currently does not have a
presence in China.
RagingWire Data Centers – Sacramento, CA based data center solutions company. Has built and
maintained LEED-Gold certified centers for NVIDIA, DreamHost, Photronics. Focused on
producing green, efficient data centers. Currently does not have operations outside of the US.
Data Specialties Inc. – a Buena Park, CA based data center solutions company. Offers design,
construction, electrical systems, communications, security, and mechanical solutions for data
centers. Has built data centers across the US.
Sources: (1) Hornbaker Group; (2) SCMP; (3) Wired
US-BASED DATA CENTER BUILDERS
Lee Technologies – a US based data center solutions company, subsidiary of Schneider Electric
(Green Grid board member). Has built the LEED-silver Harris Cyber Integration Center (since
been sold by Harris Corp.) with a PUE under 1.361. Has built and managed data centers for
private and public sector clients in the US2. Does not have a presence in China.
Base Partners Inc. – a San Francisco, CA based data center company. Has built and maintained
data centers across the US, Europe, Japan and Hong Kong. Capable of building data centers
to specify “green” design concepts.
IO Data Centers – a Phoenix, AZ based data center company. Builds raised-floor modular data
centers and provides efficient systems and colocation solutions. IO’s modular designs have
attracted large clients worldwide, such as Goldman Sachs, seeking sustainable, spacesaving, and low-energy answers.
Quality Technology Services (QTS) – a Kansas based data center provider. Offers custom data
center services, colocation services and cloud services. Achieved LEED-Gold at their Atlanta
Matro data center and has recently begun green initiatives at all centers (e.g. solar panels)3.
Currently, no presence in China.
Sources: (1) Harris Corp; (2) Lee Tecnologies; (3) The Whir
US-BASED HARDWARE, SOFTWARE & COMPONENTS SUPPLIERS
ZT Systems – a Seacaucus, NJ based data center solutions company. Produces energy efficient
hardware and provides custom servers solutions for clients. Member of the Green Grid.
42U – a Broomfield, CO based data center solutions company. Provides data center cooling,
power, monitoring and management solutions. Also offers hardware (e.g. server racks).
Member of the Green Grid.
Belden Inc. - a St. Lous, MO based cable manufacturer. Produces energy efficient, highbandwidth cables, as well as racks, enclosures and other hardware for data centers. Also
provides cabling and security systems. Products have been used in LEED certified buildings
across the US.
Active Power – an Austin, TX based power solutions company. Designs and manufactures
sustainable, energy efficient critical backup and continuous power solutions for data centers
(in the form of modular “power containers”). Member of the Green Grid.
Turbine Air Systems (TAS) Energy – a Houston, TX based energy and environment control
company. Specializing in commercial cooling systems, builds modular cooling systems1 and
custom energy efficient modular data centers, in partnership with other contractors. Does not
have a presence in China.
Sources: (1) Datacenter Dynamics
WHY GREEN?
WHY BUILD a Green Data Center based on Clean Tech?
•ENERGY EFFICIENCY = LOWER ENERGY COSTS
•GREATER RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) = MORE INVESTMENT
CAPITAL
•LESS USE OF RESOURCES = LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
On Choosing US Clean Tech
•Proven quality & efficiency of Clean Tech
•Higher Industry Standards
•Leader of Innovation in Clean Tech
THANKS!
US-CHINA CLEAN TECH CENTER (UCCTC) mission: To
provide US clean tech firms a costeffective and strategic launching pad
where they can showcase their products
& services in China’s leading clean tech
markets in order to increase market
demand for US clean tech.
Please visit www.uschinacleantech.org
Contact
info@uschinacleantech.org