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Running servers 24/7 is great for uptime and productivity but less good for the environment. It's estimated that by 2020 global datacentre usage will account for 3% of all CO2 emissions. We've known this for years but simply purchasing carbon credits (which do almost nothing to actually lower global CO2 output) or paying for trees to be planted, often on the other side of the world, doesn't tackle the root of the problem; dirty power generation.
Inspired by the “We Are Still In” movement in the US in the wake of the US's planned withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, we wanted to do our bit and demonstrate civic and environmental leadership here in the UK. I approached the management at Netwise who were incredibly responsive and agreed something needed to be done. Just 3 months later;
And this is truly renewable. No carbon offsets, no planting a tree (though we're looking at doing this too, I like trees) just 100% renewable electricity from sources like the sun, wind and sea. We've gone with Ecotricity, the first company in the UK to offer true 100% renewable energy. They do residential too and switching is a breeze.
We've always chosen technology designed to minimise our environmental impact. We were heavy early adopters of SSD technology, which uses considerably less power for storing data. Netwise have built a facility with a PUE rating of 1.12 (1 is perfect and most efficient datacentres claim 1.2 - 1.4). The final piece of the puzzle was the power itself. By paying a premium for 100% renewable energy we're providing the economic incentive for more solar, wind and tidal facilities to be created, reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels and creating a path to a cleaner future.
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