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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    276

    Home based dev platform and green energy

    I have had a bunch of various servers in my garage for years and it's proved to be a lot cheaper than having to fork out for training courses to learn different os's.

    Plus since i work from home it's handy to have a setup that has the same operating systems that i work with, mainly hpux, solaris n centos

    A couple of years ago i decided to try and get it running off green energy.

    From the renewable energy point of view i have 6 big 12v 110ah batteries from a datacenter ups that were being decomissioned, linked to a decent 2kw inverter i managed to pick up very cheap.

    Batteries are topped by a couple of solar panels and a small wind turbine (both ebay bargains).

    I dont run all the servers at the same time but i can have few running happily.

    I was wondering whether anyone here has done anything similar?

    I originally started the idea off just to run 12v lighting in the garage but when i got the ups batteries i thought i'd take it a stage further

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    30
    That's quite an interesting idea, I'm tempted to look into it myself. !

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    276
    It was something new to learn

    With servers getting cheaper, smaller and less power hungry it is a lot easier to do, getting a pure sive wave inverter cheap was the hardest bit.

    I couldnt of done this say 5 years back with my old setup as it was way too power hungry.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    italy
    Posts
    393
    Quote Originally Posted by n3tw0rk5 View Post
    It was something new to learn

    With servers getting cheaper, smaller and less power hungry it is a lot easier to do, getting a pure sive wave inverter cheap was the hardest bit.

    I couldnt of done this say 5 years back with my old setup as it was way too power hungry.
    Cool.

    I've seen some hosts like aiso.net even have run this green road with impressive 100% green facilities. The prices are definitely high, but hey, if you really are a treehugger or don't need so much resources, would be an interesting way to go.

    Some others like dreamhost just buy carbon credits (so, just marketing, no real commitment).

  5. #5
    That's cool alright!

    How long can you run on battery power?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    276
    I have a little linux box running 24/7 on it fine, but it is a mini pc type thing.

    I've had my hp9000 A500 server running for a couple of days non stop, but i've never really tested it till the charge controller warning lights come on.

  7. #7
    <<snipped>>


    @OP: I do not think that you will be pioneer. You need to have some consultations with your ISP provider first to make sure they will allow that for you.
    Then try to run using original power supply and then shift to the green power
    Last edited by bear; 10-30-2009 at 07:40 AM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Adelaide, Australia
    Posts
    83
    Quote Originally Posted by n3tw0rk5 View Post
    I have a little linux box running 24/7 on it fine, but it is a mini pc type thing.

    I've had my hp9000 A500 server running for a couple of days non stop, but i've never really tested it till the charge controller warning lights come on.
    That's an awesome set up. I've been wanting to do something like it for a long time but where I'm living at the moment makes it nearly impossible (no room to put solar panels and no access to the roof).

    Question: obviously it all depends on sun and wind conditions but roughly how long would it take you to charge the batteries from empty to full if you weren't using them?
    AdelaideHost - providing shared and VPS hosting.
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  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    643
    I think if you have possibility you can give that ago and try. Make sure you are actiong not against the IPS policy
    Good luck
    ASPnix Web Hosting - ASP.NET, MS SQL, AJAX, Hyper-V
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