Amidst a week that included both 4/20 and Earth Day, MojoHost announced some of the 2021 “green initiatives” that are being implemented at the ongoing construction of its new Michigan Data Center.
“The entire data center uses cutting edge technology not just for serving blazing fast websites but also for contributing to a greener future through cleaner technology,” stated Brad Mitchell, Founder of MojoHost. “We made as many choices as we could with the environment in mind, despite the costs. Nobody is doing what we are doing on the scale we are doing it.”
Mitchell cited its significant power ratings advantage. An average data center runs at a “Power Usage Efficiency” (PUE) of approximately 1.5 to 2.0 with “good” facilities running around 1.25. The 15,000 square foot MojoHost facility runs at a rating of 1.1, which means it takes less energy to cool and maintain temperatures of its equipment and operations than other facilities. Every server cabinet in the facility is chilled to achieve this engineering feat.
The company conceded that it is not always easy to get entirely free of fossil fuels. The facility has a contract for priority refueling of its four gigantic diesel backup generators (soon to be 6), but the hope is that they are never used.
“Instead of using batteries that are horrible for the environment, we decided to integrate a flywheel that uses centrifugal force to cause a drum to spin,” Mitchell explained. “In the event of power loss, it takes a minute for diesel generators to fire up, and most facilities use massive batteries to do that. At our facility, the flywheel does the trick, and its pretty amazing.”
The engineering for a data center runs deep with details, and even the Michigan winters were considered when designing the facility. The outdoor water chillers provide free cooling for the facility when outside temperatures drop below 42F during the cold season.
But not every decision going into the facility will have a huge impact on the planet.
“My kids and I recycled motherboards from MojoHost’s first racks of servers to create a new logo art piece for the interior of the building,” Mitchell shared. “It’s a small thing, but it means a lot to have that legacy in the new building, beyond whatever small impact there might be by avoiding the landfill.”
