While large companies like Google, Apple, Levono and Microsoft have tentatively plugged into green technology, a diminutive web-hosting company called Greenest Host, has audaciously turned green. After AISO.net, Greenest Host is the second web-hosting company in the entire world that is 100 percent solar-powered.

“All of us are ruining the environment in some way or the other. To prevent total destruction of non-renewable energy resources, we have to start relying more upon alternative sources of power. With this thought in mind, we decided to make Greenest Host 100 percent solar-powered” reveals Mike Corrales, CEO and President of Greenest Host.

Proper Use of Solar Energy

The company’s 2000 sq. ft. datacenter is located in South California , where solar panels have been erected to absorb all the available solar energy. The trapped solar energy is used to feed 600 servers round the clock. During the day, the servers take the energy directly from the panels and at night, batteries that store excess solar energy, empower the servers.

In the ‘green’ datacenter, AMD opteron-powered servers are used. These server are energy-efficient, they use 60 percent less energy and release 50 percent less heat. Besides this, Greenest Host has implemented the concept of virtualization. “We can handle only 1000 servers energy-efficiently. Therefore, virtualization was the best option available to us. In a bid to fulfill the cooling and electricity requirements, we have fixed the ratio between virtual servers and physical servers to 30:1,” informs Corrales.

More Environmental-Friendly Endorsements
Energy conservation seems to be the motto of Greenest Host, and perhaps that’s the reason why the company has tried to conserve energy wherever possible. Two Energy Star complaint cooling systems from Freus have been specifically installed to monitor the outside air temperature continuously. Whenever the temperature falls below 50 degrees, the cooling systems suck in the outside air, filter it and then direct it to the datacenter. In this manner electricity is saved.

Furthermore, redundant environmental monitors have been deployed to act as smoke alarms and to monitor cooling and humidity levels in the datacenter. These environmental monitors help the datacenter staff to maintain a consistent temperature inside the premises. Proper temperature regulation prolongs the life of the servers.

The entire datacenter is built of steel with multiple layers of eco-friendly insulation. The unique structural design of the datacenter helps to keep the cool air in and hot air out. Moreover, it also reduces the amount of energy required to run the facility smoothly. The company is in the process of installing a green roof over the datacenter. This will reduce the heating and cooling requirements by 50 percent.

Website Owners can also Contribute
Greenest Host has launched attractive web-hosting plans that provide website owners a golden opportunity to become a part of green technology revolution. At $14.59 a month, an internet enthusiast can create a website at Greenest Host, and help conserve natural resources in a unique manner. For every new account created, Greenest Host will donate $5 to the Environmental Defense Fund.

Greenest Host is also sponsoring the “Million Green-Powered Website” campaign, where the goal is to make one million websites green-powered. If the campaign is successfully completed, then the pollution reduction will be equivalent to: 240,000 trees grown in 10 years or 1,070,000 gallons of gasoline not burned or 2,000 cars not driven in one year.

“Although a lot still needs to be done, but it is our honest attempt to save the environment. One small step can make a difference, let’s hope that we succeed in doing that,” reminisces Mike Corrales.