Solar Services

In the 21st century, the internet market and the need for reliable web services have exploded. However, all of the demand has caused for the gas fuel plants that produce the electricity to unload mass volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Solar powered web servers manage to store power using solar panels or batteries; the company based out of San Diego is soon going to start selling and renting out Web hosting. Already initiated by companies such as Google (Kanellos, Source 1), solar power offers business benefits for any organization.
The obvious advantages to this solar-powered server are the production of reliable and long lasting energy as well as the reduction in gas emissions. Solar power is one of the emerging technologies used to power homes and industries in the hopes of significantly reducing the usage and emission of greenhouse gases. “Running a single server on solar power (rather than conventional grid electricity) cuts roughly the same amount of greenhouse gases you would save if you didn't burn 107 gallons of fuel.”(Kanellos, Source 1) Using this new server would also decrease the amount of technology needed. These solar grids also have the possibility to expand to other markets. These solar grids could be used to power and heat houses, hospitals, offices, community centres, etc.
Although this new technology seems ideal, there are a few drawbacks. A major disadvantage is the high cost of installing the solar grids. The cost of producing electricity using solar energy would cost more or less the same as producing electricity from a conventional gas-burning power plant. The cost of electricity, on average, ranges from 5 to 18 cents per kilowatt hour. Solar thermal costs around 15 to 17 cents a kilowatt hour of energy. Although not very significant, electricity bills would increase by a few dollars every month. This increase, although minute, is not the only expense that should be taken into account. The removal of old equipment, instalment of IT and IT systems, labour and retraining costs, as well as the construction and implementation of solar panels can be very costly. This, accompanied by the fact that solar energy is still a brand new idea in IT, will present financial difficulties for any organization thinking of competing within a competitive energy market. However, in a world where greenhouse gases have damaged the atmosphere to the point where other sources of energy are a necessity, the solar energy market will soon be profitable, and solar energy, with the proper IT and knowledge worker application could easily be profitable for a future organization.

Sources
1) Kanellos, Michael (July 26, 2007)
Solar powered servers for the masses, Retrieved September 30, 2007 from
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9750692-7.html
2) Energy Efficient IT (2007)
Retrieved September 30, 2007 from
http://saveenergy.about.com/od/savingenergyattheoffice/gr/Sun_Servers.htm
3) Solar-Powered Server Center Saves Power -- and Money Too. (2007)
Retrieved September 30, 2007 from
http://www.edn.com/blog/1470000147/post/210008421.html