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Solar-powered data centers are utilizing renewable energy sources for operational as well as storage purposes.
FREMONT, CA: Solar energy has been at the forefront of data center innovations for some time. Solar energy is a key component in the realm of renewable energy, and it is being incorporated as an integral power source across the data centers. 'Colocation America’ reviews that there have not been enough steps in this direction; however, a solar-powered data center is significant among all. But the practicability of a solar-powered data center has always been questioned?
Conventional wisdom considers solar power as very costly and intermittent for useful applications in data centers. But, the above concept is rapidly changing as technology is making solar power simpler and more cost-effective to tap into. Presently, the technical challenges data centers face in utilizing solar power fall into two broad spectrums, namely, quality and reliability. Because of solar power’s intermittency, data centers have to be prepared to store or supplement it. Data centers generally use electricity converted from solar energy to power daytime operations and use excess energy for peripheral requirements like charging power supply systems.
Solar energy providers need to put up substantial photo-voltaic solar panels to adequately fulfill the power consumption needs of data centers. The incorporation of some hundred panels has the potential to produce over a couple of hundred kilowatts of energy. The investment in such an undertaking is, certainly, vast, and the cost-effectiveness factor is being improved upon. Authorities are providing tax cuts for data centers that are deploying solar power. After all, any attempt at offsetting carbon footprint is acceptable, and the deployment of solar power accomplishes it. As the number of solar power plants increases, the installation cost will tend to lessen, resulting in a data center that has a renewable and sustainable energy portfolio.
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