Photos: Feeling chipper about green IT

Inside a woodchip-fired data centre

Burning wood might be a chip off the old block but it is something of a novel approach to green IT.

Shelves of number-crunching servers at Rackspace Hosting's data centre in Slough will be running on nothing but organic waste, including wood chips, fibre and paper.

The 39,000-server centre will draw power from a combined heat and power plant that uses its natural fuel to generate electricity, hot water and steam.

Here, wood chippings wait to be loaded into the power plant.

Photo credit: Rackspace Hosting

MD of Rackspace Doug Loewe (pictured) shows off the contrast between the cutting-edge microchip technology and the bits of wood powering them.

Loewe said in a statement: "Rackspace is committed to being energy efficient and making a real and positive difference to the environment. We also recognise that customers are increasingly looking for suppliers who can help them meet their own environment-related goals."

The 55,000-square-foot, three server hall will open in June.

Photo credit: Rackspace Hosting

The power plant that supplies the centre is the largest dedicated bio-mass energy plant in the UK and is operated by Scottish and Southern Energy.

In this picture chippings from the woodshed floor pour into the plant to be burnt off.

Photo credit: Rackspace Hosting