Emerson Network Power technologies boost performance, continuity and efficiency while helping facility achieve anticipated LEED Gold Certification
ST. LOUIS, MO [July 20, 2009] – Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE: EMR) and the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity™, is previewing Emerson’s new 35,000-square-foot corporate data center, located at the company’s St. Louis headquarters. In addition to supporting the company’s initiative to consolidate its global network – comprised of more than 100 data centers worldwide – into four facilities, the data center showcases a full array of innovative power, cooling and monitoring technologies from Emerson Network Power.
“When we started this massive data center consolidation, we admittedly set the bar high with regard to business efficiency, scalability and – above all – availability,” said Steve Hassell, vice president and chief information officer for Emerson, adding that he expects the facility to achieve as high as LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. “While designing a data center with such standards can be a challenge, we were able to leverage the expertise of our businesses to deliver a powerful, efficient, best-in-class data center to support our global network and better serve our customers around the world.”
The facility, which is scheduled to take its first applications live in August, integrates numerous Emerson Network Power products – including brands such as Alber, Aperture, ASCO, Knurr and Liebert – in addition to technologies from several of the world’s leading IT companies, including Cisco, Dell, EMC and Sun.
“These technologies create an integrated network and IT infrastructure that delivers ultra-high availability,” Hassell said. “In fact, we designed it so someone could use a chainsaw to cut right down the middle of the facility and none of our systems would go down.”
Hassell said the Emerson Network Power products at the heart of the IT infrastructure are the key to that reliability. Redundant, scalable power and cooling and integrated monitoring and management ensure seamless operation and availability.
At the project’s onset, the team set its sights on LEED Silver Certification, but now anticipates enough LEED points to put the facility into the Gold category. The LEED Gold Certification is a result of the facility’s cutting-edge architectural design and efficient technology infrastructure, triggering an estimated energy savings of up to 31 percent over a traditional enterprise data center. The facility is fully equipped with a host of unique energy-saving attributes, including daylighting features, a reduced building footprint and one of the largest rooftop solar arrays used by a data center. That solar array will provide 100 kW of power to support the facility’s IT load.
These attributes were enhanced by the strategies outlined in Emerson Network Power’s Energy Logic roadmap, which were put into practice in the new data center. The roadmap addresses the three most critical constraints faced by data center managers today – power, cooling and space – through 10 simple strategies that employ existing technologies and best practices to achieve the highest energy savings possible without compromising performance or availability.
To ensure the highest levels of reliability, the data center is equipped with three tiers of redundancy, with dual utility feeds, redundant UPS protection and onsite generators. In addition, with redundant dual-bus power capacity starting at 1,350 kW and ultimate UPS systems scalability up to 4,050 kW across dual paths, power usage can be scaled with precision to meet the facility’s highest demands without sacrificing efficiency.
The facility features new building materials that direct natural daylight into the building’s core, reducing power consumption. These materials, including hurricane-proof glass in the windows, maintain the building’s structural integrity and make it strong enough to withstand an F-3 tornado. The natural daylighting also is expected to improve employee efficiency and productivity, reduce human error and enhance employee recruitment and retention.
“When it comes to our products and services, Emerson is committed to innovation, technological excellence and environmental responsibility, so it makes sense that these values should be embodied in the company’s new data center,” said Ed Feeney, executive vice president, Emerson and president of the Emerson Network Power Systems group. ” Early in the design phase, we felt it was important to implement the efficiency strategies we have been advancing within the industry. Having accomplished this goal, we now can show the industry how incorporating these technologies and strategies into a data center can lead to better performance and reduced energy consumption, while also supporting LEED Certification initiatives.”
Emerson will celebrate the opening of the data center with a special ceremony on-site July 27.
About Emerson Network Power
Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR), is the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity™ from grid to chip for telecommunication networks, data centers, health care and industrial facilities. Emerson Network Power provides innovative solutions and expertise in areas including AC and DC power and precision cooling systems, embedded computing and power, integrated racks and enclosures, power switching and controls, monitoring, and connectivity. All solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. Learn more about Emerson Network Power products and services at www.emersonnetworkpower.com.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE:EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2008 were $24.8 billion and Emerson is ranked 94th on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.
