by Shane Henson — July 13, 2011—Internap Network Services Corporation, a provider of intelligent IT infrastructure services, announced that its Santa Clara colocation facility has achieved Green Globes certification following a rigorous review process by the Green Buildings Initiative. This marks the first Green Globes certification of a public data center in the United States as well as the first non-governmental building in California.
Internap’s Santa Clara data center received the Green Globes “New Construction” certification, which evaluates, quantifies and improves the environmental performance of both new construction and major renovation projects. The Green Globes certification process included a comprehensive online assessment and intensive site visit and evaluation by an independent, third-party evaluator. Specific highlights that contributed to Internap’s Green Globes certification include:
Use of reclaimed water: Internap’s Santa Clara colocation facility is the first commercial data center in California to use reclaimed rather than potable water to help cool the building. This approach will save 76,300 gallons per day and 27,849,500 gallons per year, the equivalent of 46.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools of potable water saved annually.
Reuse of building materials: As part of the facility rebuild, Internap reused more than 99% of the exterior structural components, nearly eliminating the diversion of waste to landfills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by removing manufacturing and delivery processes. Additionally, Internap was able to avoid sending nearly 85% of its overall construction waste to landfills, greatly reducing the building’s impact on the environment.
Energy efficiency: The Energy Star Target Finder tool showed a nearly 50% reduction in energy use at Internap’s facility compared to similar building types. The building utilizes high-efficiency lighting and controls that greatly decrease power consumption relative to similar facilities, reducing environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use.
Green power: The building’s office area will supplement its electrical load with green power for the office for a period of two years. The use of green power purchases helps to reduce the strain of power companies and the greenhouse gas emissions caused by power plants.
Additionally, Internap designed the facility to include environmentally-conscious transportation features, including carpool parking stalls to encourage commuters to rideshare. Internap has also developed an educational outreach program to explain and promote the green facility design for occupants and visitors.
