Large data centers can be big power users because of the racks and racks of computer servers in them and the critical air conditioning and ventilation equipment required for cooling. However, when a data center can improve its overall energy efficiency, it not only reduces operating costs but also the requirements for its emergency standby power system, which can in turn make it affordable to size the system for full 2N redundancy. That’s what Vantage Data Centers did at its new data center campus in Santa Clara, CA, using novel energy-saving techniques and emergency standby generator sets from Tognum brand MTU Onsite Energy. For Vantage’s 73,000-square foot (sq ft) expansion facility called V2, the company specified six 3,000-kilowatt (kW) MTU Onsite Energy generator sets that provide a total of 18 megawatts (MW) of standby power for the facility’s 9-MW load.
Energy efficiency is central to Vantage Data Centers’ business model. According to Greg Ness, chief marketing officer, Vantage Data Centers, the company “develops highly efficient and customizable data centers that significantly reduce IT infrastructure, cooling costs, and carbon emissions so customers can substantially reduce their total cost of operations.” While the company’s customers include leading players in social networking, social commerce, online social gaming, cloud storage, and video game development, the V2 facility has been leased to a single tenant.