Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1414667
October/November/December 2021 I 59 TRANSFORMING A LIGHTING PLAN INTO A SCALABLE ROADMAP FOR AUTOMATION If configured to work on a continuous and real-time basis, the system could determine if two or more tags were within a particular distance at any given time and for what duration. SATISFYING SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY COST REDUCTION Aside from intelligence and scalability, tech companies are generally drawn to solutions that reduce energy con- sumption and accomplish other sustainability objectives, such as waste heat recycling. Data centers, in particular, are notoriously large consumers of power. In fact, data center power consumption eats up about 3 percent of all electricity generated worldwide. 1 More than 50 percent of the operating cost of a modern-day data center is driven by energy consumption. 2 As a result, these organizations are under pressure to find effective ways to reduce their draw on energy sources without sacrificing reliability, capacity, and security. There are a number of public declarations from data center operators, some of which go beyond the standard commitment to reduce energy consumption. Amazon, for example, has committed to purchasing enough renewable energy to cover all of its activities by 2025. 3 Power over Ethernet lighting is one such solution to the critical need to conserve energy, meeting this need by maximizing savings and improving overall building efficiencies. Because the solution is an integrated lighting application, it provides significantly more energy savings than switching to LEDs alone. In addition to less power demand, smart lighting programs learn the behaviors of building occupants and automatically adjust the schedule to save energy and associated costs. When inte- grated with solutions, such as automated smart shading, PoE lighting helps office spaces harness natural light, reducing lighting loads and creating a more sustainable environment. It is not uncommon for building owners to experience immediate reduction in energy costs up to 70 percent following a PoE lighting installation with as much as 80 percent annually. 4 Because Codisa operates three data centers and built the first ever private cloud in the region, leaders in charge of the project were familiar with the concept of structured cabling as a means to add a layer of intelligence to lighting. However, they were intrigued to learn about the scalability of a PoE lighting system. Acting as a digital ceiling, the same PoE network cables powering Codisa's office lighting could one day deliver both energy and data to any number of connected devices and systems. Naturally, this was appealing to a technical company with rapid evolution and scalability in its DNA. Codisa was founded in a garage in 1991; the organization had expanded to 16 Latin American countries by 1995. "We have more than a lighting solution. We can simplify our daily routines, and we can control what we invest in each facility," says Diego Cardosa who is Codisa's general manager. "We are looking to do integrations with the systems we already have and to add the solution to our other facilities." Data centers are among the tech-centric organizations flocking to PoE for the infrastructure's myriad benefits. Consider Codisa Data Center. Codisa operates three data centers across Costa Rica specializing in coloca- tion and carries the highest number of certifications in the region. In 2019, the company began looking to update the lighting in its office space and began evaluating different vendors and solutions that would meet both physical and philosophical requirements. Real-time location services are an example of one possible future enhancement for data center facilities like Codisa that have already invested in a PoE lighting base. In these scenarios, PoE nodes and advanced sensors are embedded within suspended LED light fixtures. Those fixtures then track mobile assets, such as people, phones, keys, lifts or electric vehicles with a location accuracy often up to 2 meters (≈6.6 ft). In a post-pandemic environment, this can be particularly helpful for monitoring things like the social distance of employees.