ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- From the use of solar panels, daylighting and other green building techniques to a high-density, high-efficiency computing infrastructure, the company is putting its green IT expertise to work on the 35,000 square foot facility. When Emerson Network Power's new global data center opens next summer, its owners plan to have it showcase the latest innovations both inside and out. The 35,000 square foot facility, which is being designed by Fox Architects, is aimed at earning LEED Silver-level certification for its green building techniques, and will use 17 percent less energy than a traditional data center of the same size. Once its doors have opened, Emerson plans to use the facility to consolidate its 100 currently existing data centers around the globe into just four. The company is responding to challenges facing the entire IT industry: as demand for networking, storage and computing capacity skyrocket, companies within and outside of traditionally IT-intensive fields are realizing that tech demands are leading to skyrocketing electricity bills, and that those same demands outstrip the energy supply available to them. "We hope this showcase data center will help other companies meet this challenge," said Victor Lee, Emerson's CTO. "Operating efficient data centers is in the best interest of the companies that own them, as well as everyone who shares our planet." Among the green features of the building is a 100-kilowatt solar power array on the facility's roof, enough to meet 14 percent of the data center's initial power needs. Fox Architects also designed the building with special daylighting features to further cut down on electricity needs.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In a new report, Forrester Research explains that because of design, performance and disposal issues, IT in and of itself is not "green;" but companies that map at the outset a plan for achieve the greenest possible outcomes are more likely to succeed.

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