TeleCity Launches New Efficient Data Centres

A facility in Sweden will use free-air cooling and renewable energy

Data centre hosting specialist TeleCityGroup has announced the completion of two new European data centres one of which will use power from renewable resources.

In a statement released this week, the company said that the new facility in Stockholm will use power generated by wind and hydropower. The centre will also use so- called “free air” cooling to regulate temperatures for 4 months of the year.

TelecityGroup claims that with the addition of the Stockholm centre and another facility in Milan, it now has 22 facilities across Europe. At full capacity the new data centre in Milan will offer approximately 3 MW and 2,300 square metres of capacity. In Stockholm, at full capacity the data centre will provide 2,800 square metres and approximately4 MW of customer power, the company said.

According to Niclas Sanfridsson, managing director of TelecityGroup Sweden, the company has already attracted customers including Netnod, the Swedish Internet exchange, which will have a live presence in the new Stockholm site from launch.

“This new, state-of-the-art, facility enables us to cater for customers who are increasingly seeking premium, network independent, resilient data centres to provide secure hosting and connectivity services,” said Sanfridsson.

Free air or outside air cooling is seen as a more efficient way to cool datacentres compared to energy intensive artificially cooled air-conditioning systems, experts claim.

IT energy efficiency organisation, the Green Grid consortium, a free online database tool and maps designed to help data centre owners determine if outside air in the area where their facilities are cited is usable for cooling. The tool is only available in the US at present but should be rolled out internationally in the near future.

TelecityGroup’s rival company Telehouse Europe announced last week that its new £80 million data centre Telehouse West, will use waste heat from the facility to generate energy for the local London Docklands community.