Facebook to build another massive new data center

Facebook to Build Yet Another Massive New Data Center

By Matthew Wheeland Published November 12, 2010

It’s been a busy year for Facebook’s expansion into the data center world. First was the January announcement that it was opening a green data center in Prineville, Ore. Then came the news in August that it was already planning to double the size of that facility. And now comes the news that the company is investing nearly half a billion dollars in another new data center in North Carolina.

The company’s Rutherford County data center will cost $450 million to build over the next 18 months, and will boast plenty of the green technologies that Facebook has been touting of late.

Details about the data center are scarce to nonexistent, except for the cost, and a handful of pictures posted to the data center’s Facebook page. But, based on the location, it’s possible to infer two things:

1) Outside-air cooling will not be quite as easy as in Oregon, and 
2) The power mix for North Carolina makes it likely that it will draw electricity from coal-fired plants.The seasonal weather averages for Forest City, N.C., and Prineville, Ore., at right (click image for full-sized), show warmer low temperatures and a slightly longer hot-weather curve in the summer. Although the winters in North Carolina are plenty cool, summers are much hotter than in Oregon — “brutal,” according to Cade Metz in The Register.

As to point number two: You may recall a little ongoing dustup between Facebook and Greenpeace over Facebook’s use of coal-fired power to run its Prineville data center. Well, according to the federal Energy Information Administration, where Oregon is dominated by hydroelectric power and coal-fired electricity is largely imported, North Carolina is coal country, with about 60 percent of its energy coming from coal, about 30 percent coming from nuclear power.

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/11/12/facebook-build-yet-another-massive-new-data-center?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greenbiz%2Fenergy-climate+%28Energy+%26+Climate+%7C++Greenbiz.com%29&utm_content=Google+UK#ixzz1580viR7x

 

Can Green Flats Build Sustainable Communities?

November 10, 2010 by The Dirt ASLA

In a talk at the TED Mid Atlantic conference, architect Tim McDonald, co-owner of Onion Flats in Philadelphia, explained how he is a green building developer, architect, and builder rolled into one. Beginning in the 1990′s, McDonald took decrepit, vacant brownstones in downtown Philadelphia and turned them into LEED Platinum duplexes that he argues build sustainable communities……………..

full article at http://is.gd/gZcbq

 

Accrington’s Ecostation

Accrington’s ecostation construction

Lancashire County Council has announced that a funding package amounting to £1.2m has been secured, with £500k coming from the European Interreg IVb programme, to build a new station at Accrington. The key objectives of the Accrington Eco Station project are to promote innovative use of existing and emerging knowledge, products and services in the design and operation of the new station building and car park that are sustainable and reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

The new station is the second phase of a £1.8m programme of works that has already commenced. The second phase will commence in November 2009 with completion in Spring 2010.

The new Eco Station will have a booking and information office and will be constructed using, where possible, locally sourced materials including recycled stone and materials that can be recycled if the building is dismantled in the future (cradle to cradle). The project will look at ways to generate up to 50% of the power requirements on site (solar & wind energy) and use a green energy supplier for the shortfall. The project managers will also look at the effect of climate change and hopefully future proof the building against weather extremes.

The project will also look at ways of working with the local community to see if there is potential for shared use of the new station building. Consideration will also be given to how the building can link with other transport networks.

for more details see http://www.northernrail.org/page/4/51920

 

New Building Regulations for 2010 – BSRIA

New Building Regulations for 2010

The first of October is the date the 2010 changes to Parts F, J and L of the England & Wales Building Regulations take effect. However, there will be a transitional period – any projects already under way can continue to follow the old regulations right through to completion.

Part L for New Buildings

Approved Document L2A, Conservation of fuel and power in new buildings other than dwellings was first published in 2006, and was quite a radical departure from its predecessor. The 2010 Approved Document L2A sticks with the same 5 criteria for compliance, with fairly minor changes to each. The biggest change is that the Target CO2 Emissions Rate (TER) fall by 25%. The 2010 TER will be the emissions from a newly-defined notional building, and the specifications for this building have been set such that buildings on aggregate will achieve 25% lower emissions than under the 2006 Part L…………….

full story and presentations at http://www.bsria.co.uk/news/regs-update2010/

 

New centre to advance sustainable construction

22 October 2010

A new £8 million centre of excellence is to be built in order to develop and advise on sustainable construction techniques.

Called the iCON, it will be located in Daventry, Northamptonshire, and is set to open next year.

It is hoped it will attract a number construction firms to the region, with room for 60 start-ups in the building itself.

They will be able to take advantage of growth plans for Northamptonshire due to be carried out in the near future, such as a 20-year housebuilding programme.

See full story at http://www.sageforconstruction.co.uk/construction_industry_news_selected.aspx?aid=1613

 

Be a Passivhaus designer: windows, thermal bridges and air changes

Posted on October 12th, 2010 by Hattie Hartman

Loads and loads of buzz on Passivhaus at the moment with yesterday’s conference at Islington Town Hall attended by over 200 people. It is now being billed as a bi-annual event, so watch this space in six month’s time for more. A measure of the growing momentum of PassivHaus was Chris Huhne’s attendance at the conference where he announced that he would like to see every newbuild home in the UK reach PassivHaus standard.

Sofie Pelsmakers of UEL, who organised a student PassivHaus event on Sunday, sent Footprint a link to the presentations, as well as a delightful film of Sunday’s ice challenge at UEL already on YouTube.  Students constructed two ‘houses:’ one to Building Regs standard and one to PassivHaus and timed how long it took ice to melt and tea to cool.  Mesmerising images and music during the meltdown. Good to see some levity in connection with PassivHaus to counterbalance discussions of thermal bridging, insulation thicknesses, window detailing and airtightness.

So excellent timing for the second installment of Mark Elton’s report from his PassivHaus training course. In Footprint’s Zoomerang survey which ran with the Reader Offer, some of you asked for more technical information, so here it comes:……………

Full article at http://blog.emap.com/footprint/2010/10/12/be-a-passivhaus-designer-2-windows-thermal-bridges-and-air-changes/

 

UK’s first multi-dwelling PassivHaus scheme is on site

UK’s first multi-dwelling PassivHaus scheme is on site

Posted on February 23rd, 2010 by sustainability

 

Four homes and a business unit being built to PassivHaus standards are currently under construction in Highbury, North London.

The development, designed by Stephen Coleman, is due to be completed in the summer.

Story from http://blog.emap.com/footprint/2010/02/23/uk’s-first-multi-dwelling-passivhaus-scheme-is-on-site/

 

 

Racing Against Time: a bright future

By Preston Koerner | October 8, 2010

This article is a contribution to Honda’s “Racing Against Time” thought leadership series.*

Recently, I was approached by Honda to tackle the topic of “peak oil” in relation to the normal conversation on Jetson Green.  This site is devoted to green building innovation, and you may be thinking the subject of peak oil — specifically, the idea that oil is a finite resource — is a little tangential. 

But it’s not.  In fact, oil is used to make all sorts of products and to powerresidential and commercial buildings.  Honda’s invitation has given me an opportunity to brainstorm on the subject and, after some contemplation, I believe there are six ways the building, design, and construction industry can eliminate the use of oil entirely. 

#1: Ultra Conservation at the Outset

Recently, Bill McDonough said, “efficiency will not save us” and “being less bad is not being good.”  There’s a point in these bold statements, regardless of whether you believe incremental effort is helpful or mandatory for environmental progress.  So I want to be clear.  When I say “ultra conservation,” I’m not saying we should seek greater efficiencies.  I’m saying we should use extreme conservation as a path toward eliminating the use of a resource entirely. 

Perhaps the Passive House standard illustrates my point.  Generally, a Passive House is extremely airtight and ultra efficient.  These cutting-edge homes are primarily heated by warmth from people, equipment, and solar gain.  In other words, a Passive House is designed and built to nearly eliminate heating and cooling equipment.  A house that doesn’t need an active HVAC system is a house that doesn’t use energy and won’t need oil. 

#2: Bridging the Gap with Technology

Ultra conservation, however, shouldn’t require that people stop moving, working, and doing.  Lifestyles may change, but a spartan living will not create the kind of movement that would eliminate the use of oil.  After ultra conservation, we can and should tap renewable resources — sun, wind, earth — with available and reasonably priced technology. 

Technology such as solar panels, small wind turbines, and geothermal systems all present viable opportunities to power the built environment with something other that oil (or replacement fossil fuels).  Indeed, energy producing buildings can sell extra power to the grid or use that energy to power the next generation of vehicles……………..

Full article at http://www.jetsongreen.com/2010/10/racing-against-time-bright-future.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+jetson_green+(Jetson+Green)&utm_content=Google+UK

 

Derbyshire County Council’s BREEAM Excellent ‘Eco-Centre’

Derbyshire County Council’s BREEAM Excellent ‘Eco-Centre’

It’s good to see low carbon design of architectural quality coming out of the public sector. Last month Derbyshire County Council (DCC) opened its BREEAM Excellent Eco-Centre in Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Designed by DCC Property Services, the centre’s brief is to deliver education and training in sustainability. It will offer services ranging from specialised seminars in construction and renewable energy technologies to lessons in rural craft trades.

The building incorporates the following sustainable features to achieve its high environmental rating:

• Air source heat pump which provides under floor heating

• Locally sourced materials

• Recycled materials like mill stones used for curbing
• Green roof
• Solar thermal and PVs
• Rain water recycling for toilet flushing
• BMS system

see this article and others at http://blog.emap.com/footprint/2010/10/04/derbyshire-county-councils-breeam-excellent-eco-centre/

 

Council set to earn money with PV solar panels

01-10-2010

 

Suffolk County Council has reportedly unveiled plans to become one of the UK’s first local authorities to sell renewable energy generated with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels back to the national grid.

According to the BBC, the council is now seeking private-sector partners to get the scheme off the ground, after the government changed rules to allow local authorities to benefit from income derived from PV solar panels.

Councillors intend to use a former landfill site in Bamford, installing ground-mounted solar PV equipment to generate renewable energy that can be fed into the grid for profit.

Judy Terry, portfolio holder for the environment, told the news provider that the proposal would create a new source of long-term income.

”The renewable energy created will also offset some of our own carbon emissions which is crucial to our aim to be the greenest county,” she added.

Meanwhile, Corby Borough Council is currently inviting bids from energy firms to supply and install PV solar panels for a large number of social housing properties in the Northamptonshire region.

Posted by Robert Shields at http://www.sigss.co.uk/Sustainable-Construction-News/Council-set-to-earn-money-with-PV-solar-panels.htm