Posted on June 22nd, 2011With the controversy surrounding global warming, many web hosts are opting to go green to reduce the impact of carbon footprints left on the environment. Web hosting providers such as iPage, GreenGeeks, Hostgator, FatCow, SiteCloud and Hostpapa are leading the industry when it comes to offering eco-friendly services at relatively inexpensive prices. Green hosting providers delivers incredible server network uptime and other exclusive energy-saving features as compared to other web hosts. While some users are still a bit skeptical about the performance of green hosts, the majority of users are satisfied with the services.
Basics of Green Hosting
The fundamental principle of green hosting is to reduce the amount of toxic pollutants that are used to generate the energy required to deliver extensive web hosting services. There’s a continuous need for energy to be generated to provide the electricity required to maintain hosting servers. While coal and other “dirty” sources of generating energy are still in great demand, green hosts are jumping on the eco-bandwagon utilizing alternative power sources to produce electricity such as solar panels, wind mills, bio-gas, and hydro-electricity. Although solar and wind energy are 90% recycled, each of these alternative energy sources plays a crucial part in reducing carbon emission.
Due to the fact that it’s not always economically feasible to install solar panels or wind mills on physical property, several companies are taking advantage of governmental facilities that produce clean energy; however, many others are opting to use Energy Credit Certificates. These are non-tangible commodities that verify a web host is actually using alternative sources of energy to maintain and deliver services to users without interruption. Energy Credit Certificates are purchased for each 1 mega-watt per hour of energy consumed. GreenGeeks is a perfect example of applying the certificate to its services as it replaces three times the amount of energy consumed by wind power.
Quality of Green Hosting Services
It’s a common misconception that green hosting compromises quality of service by using alternative energy sources. The truth is that green hosts are able to deliver users the same, often better, quality of web hosting services as compared to others. One huge advantage is remarkable network uptime as servers are typically not overloaded during heavy traffic peaks and remain online more often than not. Users choosing a green web host should expect full access to control panels, POP accounts, MySQL, sub-domains and FTP accounts.
While green hosting continues to be an emerging trend, many environmentally conscious providers and users alike are deciding to go green to reduce carbon footprints to protect future generations. Although the majority of providers lack the resources to install alternative energy sources on the company’s premises, with government assistance and Energy Credit Certificates, green hosting is a sure bet leading into the 21st century.