Designing the Most Efficient Data Center in North America
Eric Soladay, P.E., LEED AP®, Integral
Group
Brad Woodman, AIA, The Smith Group
The new Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, will house a state-of-the-art high bay materials laboratory, super-efficient 10 megawatt (MW) high-performance computing data center, and one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in the world. The High Performance Computing Data Center will be the most efficient in North America, with a power usage effectiveness PUE of 1.06 and zero use of chillers, with compressor-free cooling only. Additionally, half of the annual energy consumed by the data center will be re-used to heat ventilation air and for building heating. This waste heat energy recovery is captured in a new metric, termed energy use effectiveness, now adopted by EPA and GreenGrid. Not only will the waste heat be used in ESIF, but also in the neighboring Research Support Facility and Science and Technology Facility.
The laboratory will handle extremely high loads for power distribution experiments with the efficient use of direct liquid cooling to equipment, air-side, and water-side economizers, and recirculation fan coils utilizing process cooling water all generated by a water-side, economizer-only plant. Only process chillers required by specific experiments will be located in the building. Only on the warmest days will campus chilled water be used and only for limited systems.
The office portion of the facility has been designed to use only 25 kilo British thermal units per square foot of energy, including associated servers. Utilizing a high-performance envelope with extremely close attention to thermal bridging details, shading, and daylighting, envelope and lighting loads are kept to a minimum. Low face velocity air handler and ductwork deliver pre-treated ventilation air (only) through an underfloor ventilation system. Active chilled beams on perimeter spaces provide additional heating and cooling when needed. Operable windows, narrow floorplate, and ventilated skylights allow the air handler to be turned off on temperate days.
NREL received DOE approval for construction in March of 2011. Occupancy is scheduled for 2012. The facility is targeting a LEED® Gold minimum. When complete, the facility will be a standard against which other laboratories and data centers will be measured, with regard to flexibility and energy use.
Biographies:
Eric Soladay is an innovative, goal-oriented mechanical engineer responsible for the procurement, management, and design of building engineering system projects with architectural and social significance, sustainable and efficient systems, and cost- and maintenance-conscious designs. As high-technology team manager, Mr. Soladay is responsible for the design of all high-technology projects and commissioning for all projects. As project manager and mechanical engineer of record at Integral Group, Mr. Soladay has led several significant projects, including a planned LEED Platinum retrofit of a historical laboratory building, a 180,000 square-foot data center with groundbreaking energy-efficient design, a 190,000-square-foot mixed use retail/commercial development in Palo Alto, California, and the Packard Foundation Headquarters, a 30,000-square-foot commercial/institutional zero-energy building.
Brad Woodman joined SmithGroup in 2004 to assume leadership of the Science and Technology Studio at the Phoenix, Arizona, office. With more than 22 years of experience in architecture, design, marketing, project management, and firm management, Mr. Woodman is recognized for his ability to build relationships that are both long lasting and reach beyond the usual project management capacity.
With special expertise in the design of biomedical, forensic, and materials laboratories, some of Mr. Woodman's current and recent projects include the new Energy Systems Integration Facility at NREL; the Tri-Service Laboratory for the state of New Mexico; the new Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Laboratory for the military in Hawaii; a new research laboratory and pharmacy school for the University of Hawaii, Hilo; a third biomedical laboratory on the Phoenix Bioscience Campus; and work on the Toronto Forensic Complex, the largest forensic science laboratory in North America.