Fortune Gets $900,000 Award from PG&E

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The new Fortune Data Centers facility in San Jose, Calif.

Fortune Data Centers has been awarded $900,000 in incentives from its utility, PG&E, for energy efficiency enhancements in the design and equipment purchases for its data center in San Jose, Calif., the company said this week. The award is the latest example of the growing opportunities for data center operators to leverage utility incentives to offset the cost of efficiency measures.

Fortune Data Centers, which opened its San Jose site earlier this year, says the 78,000 square foot facility is on track to earn a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company also enrolled in PG&E’s High Tech Energy Efficiency program.

A third-party analysis projected that Fortune's design and equipment decisions - including an investment in high-efficiency UPS units and air handlers - will save 10.4 million Kilowatts a year. That's the equivalent to powering 1,500 homes annually, according to PG&E. That led to the incentive award of over $900,000 from PG&E.

“PG&E commends Fortune Data Centers for renovating its existing facility into a world class energy-efficient data center,” said Mark Bramfitt, principal program manager for high tech programs for PG&E. “We are proud to have provided technical assistance and financial incentives to support Fortune’s commitment to energy efficiency.”

The facility’s energy efficiency features include a design that uses a slab floor and drops cool air into the data center from above, taking advantage of the natural tendency for denser cool air to fall while warm air rises. The facility employs water-side economization and highly-efficient cooling towers, as well as an advanced building management system to monitor and manage environmental conditions.

“We are firmly committed to energy efficiency while minimizing our impact on the environment, which is exemplified in our San Jose facility,” said Fortune Data Centers CEO, John Sheputis. “And, a big priority is reducing costs for our customers. Our data center is one of the most advanced, energy-efficient data centers in Silicon Valley and allows us to pass along significant cost savings to our customers.”