YAHOO!

"We're thrilled to unveil our world-class data center in Lockport and take an active role in the community. Yahoo is serious about sustainability and is leading efforts to address climate change. That's why we believe in creating highly efficient data centers that minimize the impact on the environment.” Carol Bartz, Yahoo! Yahoo!’s presence in Lockport is one of the world's most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective data center buildings in the country. The facility uses a combination of innovative data center design and Lockport's naturally cool climate to dramatically decrease its electricity use throughout the year. The design was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2010 with a sustainability grant of $9.9 million, the largest award received from the DOE's recent Green IT grant program. 

The facility uses a combination of Lockport's cool climate, prevailing winds and hydropower to keep the 120-by-60-foot server buildings cool. The YCC design, dubbed the "Yahoo! Chicken Coop," mimics the long, narrow design of a chicken coop to encourage natural air flow 100 percent of the time, resulting in an annualized average of less than 1 percent of the buildings' total energy consumption being required to cool the facility. Hydropower for the data center is supplied by the New York Power Authority, which was recognized in 2006 as one of the cleanest utilities in the United States. “By working closely with Yahoo! and providing low-cost hydropower to the data center,  NYPA is creating a more sustainable environment in the region and supporting the creation of jobs for western New Yorkers in the information technology sector,” said Richard M. Kessel of NYPA.

     Yahoo! is thoughtful about site locations, with the goal of benefiting the local community, local businesses and Yahoo! users worldwide. Yahoo! supported up to 500 jobs throughout the construction process at the 155,000-square-foot site, and is committed to creating up to 125 jobs total in the state of New York. In addition to the data center, the site also supports a Yahoo! Operations Center, which monitors the Yahoo! infrastructure to ensure consistent uptime, and a Global Service Desk, a 24/7 IT support center for Yahoo! employees. The Lockport facility is integral to powering the valuable network of Yahoo! sites, including Yahoo! Mail, Messenger, Flickr, News, Sports, Finance, Answers.  Source: Business Wire