StrataScale Cloud Services Facilities Now Certified Green

StrataScale, inaugural member of the Talkin’ Cloud 50 and a provider of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), has announced it’s now offering its wares from two of the greenest data center facilities in the industry — something proved by their just-attained LEED Gold and EPA Energy Star certifications.

According to the press release, StrataScale delivers its network, storage and compute from these two data centers, located in Sacramento, Calif., and operated by RagingWire Enterprise Solutions, StrataScale’s parent company. Previously, these facilities had earned certifications including SSAE16 (formerly SAS 70) Type II Audited and PCI Compliant Level 1 Service Provider.

But with this latest news, CA1, the designation for StrataScale’s original 250,000-foot data center, adds that Energy Star certification. Meanwhile, CA2, the newer facility, appropriately met the more recent Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

To get Energy Star-certified, StrataScale CA1 had to make “improvements to the CA1 building’s data floor chillers, airflow monitoring and HVAC plant pumps, which were retrofitted with variable-frequency drive motors,” according to the company. StrataScale is expecting these changes to save more than 10 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. Apparently, RagingWire will be using these techniques from the outset in its next data center, slated to open later this year.

CA2, the newer facility, improved efficiency across lighting, water and overall energy usage, while also using recycled and reused materials.

Announcements such as this always seem to scratch two itches: Theoretically, lower energy usage should equate to generally lower costs for cloud services. But I suspect that for many, the real value proposition is in the satiety of a corporation’s social conscience.