Netcetera, one of Europe’s leading web hosting service providers, has become the latest Isle of Man business to sign up to the Manx Electricity Authority’s Green Tariff.
 
The Tariff allows Netcetera to match 100% of its power needs with energy generated from renewable sources, in particular the MEA’s Hydro-Station in Sulby.
 
Manx Electricity Authority Chairman Howard Quayle MHK said: ‘The Tariff brings with it long-term benefits of introducing more sustainable power sources and supplements the work carried out by our Home Energy Officer to promote energy efficiency to domestic customers around the Island.
 
‘We’re thrilled to have our second “green” commercial customer and I’d like to thank the team at Netcetera for embracing the move wholeheartedly and supporting our initiative. We would like to see other corporates follow in the footsteps of Netcetera and we’re confident we can expand the list of names on the Green Tariff over the next few years.’
 
Netcetera provides Co-location, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers and Managed Web Hosting Services to customers in more than 75 countries around the world from its Datacentre in Ballasalla, which has capacity for more than 700 racks in a secure and resilient environment.
 
Managing Director Peter Skelton said: ‘We are delighted to be the first datacentre to sign up to the Green Tariff and proud to be the Isle of Man's first datacentre certified as 100% carbon neutral, offering hosted solutions powered by hydro-electricity, a green power source that will prevent the emissions from happening in the first place. We’re extremely grateful to the staff and management of the MEA for their assistance in ensuring a smooth transition to the Green Tariff.
 
‘However, it’s not just about how the Tariff assists Netcetera. Datacentres require a huge amount of energy on a daily basis and with companies such as ourselves now sourcing energy from local sources, it will benefit the Island as a whole in terms of energy conservation.’
 
In addition to the Sulby Hydro-Station, the MEA can draw renewable energy via the power interconnector from the UK, which is a submarine power cable running from Bispham in Blackpool to Douglas.
 
The first commercial customer to join the Green Tariff was Marks & Spencer in summer 2011.
 
Representatives from the Manx Electricity Authority and Netcetera unveiled a plaque at the Sulby Hydro-Station bearing the names of Netcetera and Marks & Spencer and more companies will be added to the plaque as additional organisations sign-up to the Green Tariff. Meanwhile, Mr Quayle and Richard Bujko, the MEA’s Strategy and Business Development Manager, visited Netcetera’s Ballasalla HQ to present a framed photograph of the Hydro-Station to Mr Skelton.
 
You can find out more about Netcetera’s green credentials at its microsite http://www.greener.im/.