Power Crisis Ahead for London?
There are a growing number of reports that London's data center squeeze is causing serious challenges for the city's power grid. Quality data center space has been tight in London for years, but may soon be eased somewhat, as Easyspace just opened a new data center and Colt, IXEurope and Digital Realty Trust have data center building projects underway in greater London. But several UK reports suggest electric capacity may limit any additional growth.
Mike Hills of Adapt outlined the challenge in a May 18 commentary on ZDNet UK:
London is rapidly running out of the co-location facilities that support and enable so much of the overlaid network. Some commentators have gone as far as to predict a zero percent vacancy rate by 2009. ... The stark reality is that this massive drain on the local grid will soon become unsupportable. By 2009, London faces the prospect of regular "brownouts" — reductions in electric power — much like California experienced at the beginning of the decade.A similar report was shared yesterday by IT blogger Marc Jacobs (link via BladeWatch). Jacobs says his contacts are sharing "anecdotal reports that the National Grid in the UK is either unable or unwilling to provide the additional physical infrastructure required to support the concentration of power demand coming from the burgeoning financial center in the city. Short of ripping out and starting over, the National Grid may be stuck advising its customers to be happy with the power they got."
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By Rich Miller 
June 01, 2007 | Permalink | >Get Posts By E-mail
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