NetFirms Cites DC Power Savings

Web hosting provider Netfirms, Inc. said this week that it has reduced its data center power consumption by 25 percent by switching to DC power, and expects the gains to eventually reach 45 percent.

Toronto-based Netfirms said it is in the final stages of migrating its clustered server architecture and data center operations to DC power technology from Rackable Systems (RACK). "DC power is the most viable method of reducing our environmental footprint," said Jason Matheson, Product Manager at Netfirms. "It sees more direct results than purchasing renewable energy credits."

The potential for DC power distribution to reduce energy costs has been actively debated within the data center industry in recent years. A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab found that energy savings of 10 to 20 percent were possible by the more efficient movement of power through a data center by using DC power. Plenty of skeptics remain, but with the current push to reduce power usage and costs in the data center, more commercial DC power options are emerging.

Rackable, which counts Microsoft and Yashoo among its major customers, is advancing its DC power products as a greener option for power-hungry data centers. "Our proven DC Power technology has the potential to significantly reduce power consumption and increase server reliability" said Giovanni Coglitore, Chief Technology Officer of Rackable Systems. "DC power gives technology companies like Netfirms the opportunity to actively help our environment by reducing energy usage and decreasing the amount of heat produced in large-scale data centers while maintaining their competitive edge."