In Video
It’s a simple, elegant idea that benefits everyone. Our first video blog for the project gives you an idea of what we’re doing. It’s being narrated by our COO, Frank Bellavance.
Greenhouse Servers Project – Video Blog Entry 1 from Greenhouse Servers.
When this video was originally recorded, our intent was primarily to offer hosting services. While we’ll still do that, the scope of work has shifted to building and distributing the system that allows the heat exchange to work.
Additionally, our first location in Canada will be leasing out space to other hosting providers. We believe we can provide all the necessary location and utility support at a lower cost than hosting companies can do for themselves, in addition to helping them go green.
This slideshow really distills the story for you:
Greenhouse Servers, South
Our corporate offices are located in San Tan Valley, Arizona, where the sun shines an average of 360 out of 365 days a year. We rock an educated population and provide an ideal business atmosphere for startups. Arizona is home to, or houses offices for, tech giants like Microsoft, Intel, Motorola and more.
Oh, and it’s hot. We’re talking about 120ºF hot during summer. Great spot for a winter vacation. Not such a great location for a server farm.
Don’t worry. Our corporate offices will be just as energy conscious as our northern network. Arizona’s energy resource will be solar. We’re not called the Valley of the Sun for nothing!
Greenhouse Servers, North
That’s why our servers and the adjacent greenhouse will be located in Saguenay, Quebec, some 5 hours’ drive north of Montreal. In that part of the world, the thermometer dips to -40ºF every winter. As you’d probably imagine, there’s an abbreviated growing season for fresh fruits and vegetables to accompany those chilly temperatures. Greenhouses form a crucial part of the food chain, but even greenhouses can’t operate year-around in the subarctic cold temperatures, not without spending exorbitant heating costs.
Until now, that is. Until Frank realized it was possible to take the heat from servers and send it to a greenhouse, and draw cool air from a greenhouse to control server temperatures.
Not only can we bring down the operating costs for both businesses, reducing their respective carbon footprints, but this also permits our partnering greenhouse to expand its growing season to operate year round.
Expansion
As we mentioned earlier, the scope of our project goes beyond a single server farm and a single greenhouse. We’ll be marketing the software and assisting setup for other hosting providers, in the hopes that they too will do the environmentally responsible thing. It’s neither practical nor even feasible for all hosting services to be located in a single city in Quebec. It is feasible for all hosting providers to build in cold climates and employ greenhouse technology.
