Wal-Mart buys 24 acres of land for Data Center in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs reports on Wal-Mart's decision to build a data center.

Wal-Mart spends $5.3 million to buy data center site

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September 26, 2011 5:57 PM

RICH LADEN

THE GAZETTE

Wal-Mart, which announced in July that it would build a 210,000-square-foot corporate data center in northern Colorado Springs, has finalized its purchase of the site — paying about $5.3 million for the land.

The world’s largest retailer completed its purchase Friday, buying four parcels totaling 24 acres along Federal Drive, southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways, according to documents recorded with the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

Wal-Mart joins the following companies in building a data center in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs is home to data centers for Progressive Insurance, FedEx and Hewlett-Packard, and business leaders hope to attract more such facilities. A Springs general contractor has proposed creation of a business park on the city’s south side that would be home to several data centers.

Why the Springs? City and economic development officials have touted its low-cost and reliable electricity, highly educated workforce and its location largely free from natural disasters as major pluses.

2012 Olympics tip Verizon/Terremark data center decision to Amsterdam over London

ComputerWeekly reports on Verizon/Terremark's decision to build a data center in Amsterdam over London due to the 2012 Olympics creating a power shortage.

Verizon rejects London datacentre site due to Olympic Games power drain

Kathleen Hall

Friday 23 September 2011 11:03

Concerns over power shortages led to Verizon Business dismissing London as the site for its flagship datacentre.

Verizon Business was worried about the availability of power because of the Olympic Games to be hosted in London next year. The company chose Amsterdam instead.

The President of Verizon Europe made the following statement.

Hermann Oggel, president of European business at Terremark, told delegates at Verizon's annual business conference that the choice of locations was between London and Amsterdam.

"London was full with the Olympics, with no power. And power is a big issue," Oggel said. "We spoke to utility companies in London and looked at premises, but found it economically better to manage from Amsterdam."

Here is the new NAP of Amsterdam Data Center as reported on DataCent

An aerial view of the new Terremark NAP of Amsterdam, the company's latest network access point.

GE shows its Platinum LEED certified data center in Kentucky

GE announced its Platinum LEED data center.

Calculating the Future: GE Unveils Platinum LEED®-Certified Data Center – a Sustainable Investment Supporting Global Business Growth

• GE Appliances & Lighting unveils first LEED^®-Platinum data center in Kentucky.
• GE’s data center is 34 percent better in terms of energy savings than a typical code-compliant building.¹
• Of all LEED-certified buildings globally, only 6 percent have achieved Platinum certification.²
• GE’s data center supports more than $1 billion in job-creating business investments.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- August 18, 2011– (NYSE:GE) - GE Appliances & Lighting today announced the opening of a revolutionary new data center at its Louisville, Ky., Appliance Park headquarters. GE approached the design, construction and operation of this facility with the intent of reducing data center energy consumption and lowering environmental impact, while providing tremendous computing power to support major product and infrastructure investments now and well into the future.

GE’s Adrian Shanklin shows off GE’s new high-density servers that provide more computing power per square foot than GE’s previous data center for greater efficiency.

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Of all LEED-certified buildings globally, only 6 percent have achieved Platinum certification, and GE’s new facility is the first LEED-Platinum data center in all of Kentucky.³ GE’s environmental achievement is made even more impressive considering data center emissions worldwide are growing faster than many other types of carbon emissions.⁴

Water and Renewable energy are part of the announcement.

• GE is reducing water consumption inside the building by 42 percent compared to the industry baseline⁷ by installing ultra low-flow fixtures. Outside the building, GE is reducing water consumption by 100 percent.⁸
• GE has offset 35 percent of the data center’s predicted annual energy consumption through the purchase of off-site renewable energy.⁹

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7 Baseline established in Energy Policy Act of 1992.

8 No permanent irrigation system was installed, reducing water consumption by 100% for landscaping purposes. Data for LEED analyzed and independently verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

9 GE is matching 35 percent of the data center’s predicted annual energy consumption with renewable-energy certificates to help offset emissions. Green-e accredited Tradable Renewable Certificates (RECs) equal to 35 percent of predicted annual energy consumption over a two-year period.

Wal-mart uses its purchasing power to change the supply chain, an idea worth considering

WSJ has an article on Wal-Mart going Local for sourcing more produce.

'Local' Grows on Wal-Mart

By MIGUEL BUSTILLO And DAVID KESMODEL

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which scours the globe seeking the lowest-cost suppliers, is finding it can save money by buying more fruits and vegetables grown closer to its stores.

Other food retailers, including Supervalu Inc. and Safeway Inc., also are racing to expand the amount of locally grown food they offer, as more Americans flock to farmers markets and gourmet grocers such as Whole Foods Market Inc. in search of fresher produce.

Wal-mart has been able to go greener and save money.

Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the U.S., with more than $120 billion a year in food sales, encourages its managers to buy produce grown within 450 miles of its distribution centers, even if local peaches, for example, cost more than those produced across the country in California.

That's because the Bentonville, Ark., giant has determined that, in an era of high diesel prices, trimming the number of "food miles" produce travels cuts fuel costs. Buying locally also reduces produce spoilage, Wal-Mart says, though it won't quantify the savings.

...

Wal-Mart spokesman says the retailer believes that saving money and improving the freshness of foods are not mutually exclusive ideas, adding that its is committed to doing more than just buying local to save money.

Wal-mart is using its purchasing power to change where produce is grown.

But Wal-Mart's drive to buy local is proving popular with some farmers. "They drive a hard bargain in Bentonville, but I know what I am getting paid before I put something in the ground, and for a farmer that is huge," says Sharon Heer of Fewel Farms, in Yakima, Wash., which is growing jalapeños for the chain, and has previously grown pumpkins for it.

When will Wal-Mart green its data center? Next Data Center destined to high carbon Colorado Springs

DatacenterKnowledge reports on Wal-Mart's selection of Colorado Springs for a new data center site.

Wal-Mart Confirms Colorado Springs Project

July 22nd, 2011 : Rich Miller

Wal-Mart confirmed Thursday that it will build a major corporate data center in Colorado Springs, boosting efforts by local officials to boost the city as a data center destination. Construction costs for the new data center are estimated at $100 million, and initially, the data center would need 20 to 40 full-time employees with annual salaries of $30,000 to $70,000.

The Colorado Springs reports more details coming from the local economic development officials.

City officials say based on their estimates, and using information provided by Wal-Mart, the facility will cost about $100 million to build; the company declined to disclose the cost. Wal-Mart also is expected to invest another $50 million to $100 million in machinery and equipment over the initial 15-year life of the facility, city officials say.

The center will employ about 30 people with salaries of $30,000 to $70,000, Phair said. It will be built on 24 acres Wal-Mart has contracted to buy southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways on the city’s far north side; construction is scheduled to begin in October and  is expected to be completed in late 2012, Phair said.

Wal-mart following the Fight Club rule in data centers.

In Wal-Mart’s case, “the new data center will have strategic importance to our business and help us serve our customers more effectively,” Rollin Ford, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president and chief information officer, said in a statement. The company declined to be more specific about what operations will take place in the Springs.

Colorado Springs touted how they beat North Carolina.

Among reasons Colorado Springs was chosen, Phair said: low-cost and reliable electricity, since data centers consume vast amounts of power; an available and highly educated work force; and a location that’s largely free from natural disasters. Financial incentives also were a factor, Phair said.

To land the data center, Colorado Springs beat out Charlotte, N.C., which Quimby and White said had offered incentives totaling about $25 million.

Wal-mart has a sustainability goal stated on their sustainability web site.

Sustainability

At Walmart, we know that being an efficient and profitable business and being a good steward of the environment are goals that can work together. Our broad environmental goals at Walmart are simple and straightforward:

• To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy;
• To create zero waste;
• To sell products that sustain people and the environment.

When you look at CARMA.ORG's web site for Colorado Springs power.  The carbon impact looks large.

I wonder what Wal-mart's plans are to be supplied by 100 percent renewable energy for its new Colorado Springs data center.  Here is a greener hybrid Wal-mart uses.

Walmart Hybrid Assist Truck

Walmart is working with manufacturing partners to develop new technologies to help reduce our environmental footprint, are viable for our business and provide a return on investment. This truck is a hybrid assist, which means the batteries kick in when the truck needs more power (at start up or going up a hill). Freightliner is testing a new location for the batteries – on the back axel, which is designed to put power where it’s needed and mitigate power loss. This truck represents a test for Walmart. We will learn from this vehicle and work with Freightliner to continue to enhance the technology.