Equinix Data Center Earns LEED Status

Colocation provider Equinix (EQIX) said today that its SV2 data center in Santa Clara, Calif. has earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The San Jose, Calif. facility is the first Equinix site to qualify for LEED status.

The LEED certification follows an expansion and green retrofit of SV2 that was completed in mid-2009. The retrofit included the installation of air-side economizers, fans incorporating variable frequency drives (VFDs) and LED light fixtures and occupancy sensors. Equinix estimates that the retrofit will save it more than 4 million kWh in energy  annually, and will pay for itself in under four years.

"Earning LEED certification is another example of our commitment to advancing energy efficient data center operations and further demonstrates the efficiency gains that can be achieved through innovative thinking and strategic upgrades to an existing facility," said Dave Pickut, the CTO of Equinix.

"This commitment carries through to all new Equinix IBX data centers, as well, which are designed in accordance with our best-practice guidelines," Pickut said. "We’re very proud of the fact that retrofit projects, such as SV2, and recently designed IBX data centers, such as those in New York and Sydney, have achieved industry-leading efficiency ratings.”

Other examples of Equinix’s energy efficiency initiatives include: