GE Unveils LEED Platinum-Certified Data Center

 

Research shows that data center emissions worldwide are growing faster than many other types of carbon emissions, and that carbon dioxide from data centers will quadruple to exceed emissions from the airline industry by 2020 due to the rapid growth in global demand for computing power.

 

The new facility, which will be the first LEED Platinum data center in the state, features high-efficiency cooling systems and high-density servers to pack more computing power per square foot — reducing the size of the data center floor by half compared with the center it will replace.

 

By installing ultra low-flow fixtures, the center is also reducing water consumption inside the building by 42 percent compared with the industry baseline and outside water consumption by 100 percent.

 

By purchasing off-site renewable energy, GE has offset 35 percent of the data center’s predicted annual energy consumption.

 

“As GE invests in the business and creates more manufacturing jobs in the U.S., our new high-efficiency data center will us manage energy costs so we can compete in a global marketplace,” said Alan Kocsi, chief information officer of GE Appliances & Lighting. “GE’s new data center will also provide the high-density computing necessary to support global business growth and significant manufacturing-revitalization efforts that will provide customers with innovative technologies, high-quality products, and better customer service.”

 

Rather than building the center from scratch, GE revitalized an existing building, maintaining more than 98 percent of the walls, floors, and roof of unutilized factory space.

 

The company also received LEED credit for sourcing about 51 percent of construction materials regionally, building with about 30 percent recycled materials, and diverting about 85 percent of on-site-generated construction waste from the landfill.