Thanks to a recent 25% increase in the cost of electricity in South Africa, data centers there are being forced to attempt some of the techniques for energy efficiency which have been so heavily discussed in the data center industry of late.

The country is due for two more such increases by 2012, so the pressure is really on to minimize energy costs and keep their data centers running.  This article from MoneyWeb notes that some smaller data centers which are running on decade-old technology are actually using more energy than larger but newer facilities.  I'd like to see more specifics on this, and it sounds like it could make for an interesting case study, with the financial pressure of rate hikes making for an interesting variable in the data center industry of South Africa.

Of course virtualization is a very tempting solution for many companies suffering under the new rates.  Outsourcing helps cut costs back to close to what they were before the electricity hikes.  I'm most interested in the technology actually put into action in South Africa that helps to regularize costs in wake of higher fees.  Anyone know anything more about this subject?

-Elizabeth English

photo by Randy OHC under flickr creative commons license

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