At the North County Transit District (NCTD), we knew we were in trouble the day the data center hit 117 degrees and was smoking. For months, it was clear that the 25' x 22' room could no longer meet the needs of our Information Technology team, and on this day the technology systems overpowered the air conditioners' ability to cool the room. A cost-effective solution needed to be found for the mission-critical space. The District was able to overcome the problems by building a room that met not only the information technology needs, but also achieved the goal to build a facility that met sustainability requirements.
The experience at NCTD mirrors that of many small-to-medium businesses — a growing demand for technology, but a limited budget and space to house it. NCTD was able to design a data center that overcame these problems (and will see a solid return on investment) by committing to build it green. From the materials used in the space, to the business practices the team now follows, to a new approach to the server and network, NCTD found it possible to address technology concerns in an economic and sustainable way.
Like many companies, NCTD also realized that the technology resources were starting to demand more and more power from the facility, eventually outgrowing the power supply to the building. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed a study that found that data and technology server power requirements are growing at a substantial rate every year, more than doubling in the last five years across the country.
Working with local business partners Roel Construction, Logicalis, Prime Electric, and B.A. Smith Designs, NCTD embarked on creating a strong technology investment that would also meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership Energy and Environmental Design? (LEED) program.
According to the project's LEED consultant Brandon Smith, designing for LEED can be a challenging prospect, especially in a technology-rich, resource-hungry space. “NCTD was clear from the start of the project that sustainability was an important goal,” Smith said. “In the end, we were able to a create a data center that is not only green but was also budget friendly.”
The project used innovative products like recycled static-dissipative tiles, sound-dampening panels made from rapidly renewable bamboo pulp, and industrial ceiling tiles made from recycled materials. The team also worked to minimize the waste from the project by reusing everything from the old air conditioners to doors and furniture from the old room. The project also used the same floor space as the original room, relying on recovering space with more efficient in-line air conditioning and more space- and energy-efficient servers. Finally, the District made a significant investment in virtualization and blade servers, allowing NCTD to put many more servers in a much smaller space and using far less power.
The solar installation was one of the most important systems on the project, providing a significant power savings for the District and allowing the project to attain a good return on investment in just over a decade.
In order to ensure the District attained the energy savings that were forecasted, the project not only installed sophisticated energy monitoring devices that can be monitored over time, but also decided to apply for the EPA's new Data Center Energy Star program.
The project proved so successful that the District leveraged the experience into a more comprehensive sustainability plan that includes recycling, future LEED facilities, additional solar installations, and other business practices that will help NCTD be both green and a community partner in sustainability. For more information on the project, please contact Angela Miller, [email protected], or read her green IT blog at http://www.ecologyit.net.
The experience at NCTD mirrors that of many small-to-medium businesses — a growing demand for technology, but a limited budget and space to house it. NCTD was able to design a data center that overcame these problems (and will see a solid return on investment) by committing to build it green. From the materials used in the space, to the business practices the team now follows, to a new approach to the server and network, NCTD found it possible to address technology concerns in an economic and sustainable way.
Like many companies, NCTD also realized that the technology resources were starting to demand more and more power from the facility, eventually outgrowing the power supply to the building. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed a study that found that data and technology server power requirements are growing at a substantial rate every year, more than doubling in the last five years across the country.
Working with local business partners Roel Construction, Logicalis, Prime Electric, and B.A. Smith Designs, NCTD embarked on creating a strong technology investment that would also meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership Energy and Environmental Design? (LEED) program.
According to the project's LEED consultant Brandon Smith, designing for LEED can be a challenging prospect, especially in a technology-rich, resource-hungry space. “NCTD was clear from the start of the project that sustainability was an important goal,” Smith said. “In the end, we were able to a create a data center that is not only green but was also budget friendly.”
The project used innovative products like recycled static-dissipative tiles, sound-dampening panels made from rapidly renewable bamboo pulp, and industrial ceiling tiles made from recycled materials. The team also worked to minimize the waste from the project by reusing everything from the old air conditioners to doors and furniture from the old room. The project also used the same floor space as the original room, relying on recovering space with more efficient in-line air conditioning and more space- and energy-efficient servers. Finally, the District made a significant investment in virtualization and blade servers, allowing NCTD to put many more servers in a much smaller space and using far less power.
The solar installation was one of the most important systems on the project, providing a significant power savings for the District and allowing the project to attain a good return on investment in just over a decade.
In order to ensure the District attained the energy savings that were forecasted, the project not only installed sophisticated energy monitoring devices that can be monitored over time, but also decided to apply for the EPA's new Data Center Energy Star program.
The project proved so successful that the District leveraged the experience into a more comprehensive sustainability plan that includes recycling, future LEED facilities, additional solar installations, and other business practices that will help NCTD be both green and a community partner in sustainability. For more information on the project, please contact Angela Miller, [email protected], or read her green IT blog at http://www.ecologyit.net.