DC1-Stavanger: The Greenest Data Center in the World
Green Mountain is one of the most revolutionary companies that designs, builds and operates Data Centers. Their three Data Centers in Norway have achieved remarkable success in terms of their carbon footprint and operational efficiency, making Green Mountains an outlier when it comes to Data Centers.
Norway is one of the greenest countries in terms of energy usage. This is one reason that gives Green Mountain a competitive advantage. With combined output of 31GW, the hydro-power plants in Norway offer and endless supply of green energy, making Norway a world leader in the same. The temperatures are also low throughout the year, with the mean temperature at 7.95°C. This is suitable climate for Data Centers and Green Mountain is taking advantage of that.
One of the Data Centers that Green Mountains runs is the DC1-Stavanger. This is a Tier III facility located in Stavanger, Norway. The Data Center is located in a former high security NATO ammunition storage facility. This makes it a secure location, shielded even from Electro Magnet Pulses threat. Some of the features of DC1-Stavanger are listed below.
| Cooling Capacity | 26MW |
| Availability | 100% |
| Power Usage Effectiveness | >1.18 |
| Space Available | 22600 m2 |
| Power Sources | 4 |
| Renewable Energy | 100% |
Water Cooling at DC1-Stavanger
The DC1-Stavanger has an efficient water cooling system, with water supplied from the adjacent Stavanger fjord. The Data Center has a cold-water basin which receives water from the fjord under gravity and at a constant temperature of 8°C.
This cooling solution is said to be the most efficient cooling system in the world. An input of 3kW of power results to 1000 KW of cooling. The end result of this lower costs for the Data Center users. Water is freely available and the fact that it flows under gravity reduces the need for pumping to a minimum. Consequently, DC1-Stavanger is one of the greenest Data Centers in the world.
DC1-Stavanger is something more data centers should emulate, where circumstances allow.
