Verizon has implemented Polargy’s PolarPlex containment system across nearly 1 million square feet of data centers, achieving a 7.7 percent improvement in energy efficiency.
PolarPlex uses several methods to separate hot and cold air and maximize cooling potential. These containment strategies include redirecting hot air from cold aisles and the use of panels to fill empty cabinets and shelf positions.
Verizon selected Polargy to manage the turnkey energy containment project across 12 domestic sites, which saw their annual energy usage reduced by 18.8 million kWh.
The project, launched in 2010, increased the sites’ aggregate data center infrastructure efficiency (DCIE) from 0.45 to 0.5, Verizon said. DCIE measures efficiency by dividing IT equipment power by total facility power.
Verizon said that Polargy provided it with detailed containment designs, local fire-marshal approvals, managed installations, and guidance through the commissioning process. The installation at each site took between two and five weeks.
“Saving energy and reducing our environmental impact are always front of mind at Verizon, and Polargy hit the mark in both areas,” the director of Verizon’s national technical operations, Mark Capurso, said. “The PolarPlex cold aisle containment solution lowered our air flow requirements and our air conditioning usage, moving us one step further in making our network more efficient and sustainable.”
Last week Verizon announced that it was changing its enterprise-wide CO2 intensity metric, from metric tons per million dollars of revenue, to metric tons per terabyte of data moved.
