Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Verizon Teams with Lineage Power on Energy Efficiency

Lineage Power Corp. and Verizon Communications are partnering to test two new technologies that significantly decrease the amount of electricity used by information and communications technology (ICT) equipment.


Most networking gear converts electricity from commercial alternating current to direct current. The companies said this conversion process is inefficient, resulting in both the overconsumption of energy and the unnecessary creation of heat. The new technologies, which will be tested in five of Verizon's central office facilities, address that issue.


The technologies, part of Lineage Power's Total Efficiency Architecture, involve specially designed rectifiers and software. Lineage Power calculates that its systems will increase the efficiency of the AC/DC conversion process to up to 97 percent.


"This is important research in the area of energy efficiency, and Verizon is proud to support it," said James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon. "Two years ago, Verizon led the industry by creating the first-ever energy efficiency standards for telecom equipment. Our alliance with Lineage Power further demonstrates Verizon's commitment to ensuring that the most advanced global networks are also the most energy efficient."


Earlier this week, Lineage Power announced that it has been awarded a $2.4 million U.S. Department of Energy research and development grant that will fund the design, engineering, removal and installation costs, as well monitoring and research, associated with the tests of the new technologies.


ICT facilities account for approximately 3 percent of all U.S. electricity use. Rapid growth in the U.S. data center industry is projected to require two new large power plants per year just to keep pace with the expected demand growth.
http://www.lineagepower.com
http://www.verizon.comLineage Power Corporation, a Gores Group company, traces its heritage to AT&T, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies and Western Electric. The company is based in Plano, Texas.