[Possible OT] California, and running off of generators for extended periods

Tue Jan 16 17:30:00 UTC 2001

Allo, all...  Watching what's going on in California, it occured to me,
and some of my colleagues, that the major colo and data centers (for
example, but not focusing on, Exodus, Colo.com, etc.) could assist in the
power crunch that California is having by shifting part, or all, of their
loads over to generator power -- one would think that a) diesel fuel is
still cheaper than electricity in California, price hikes lately
notwithstanding, and b) the goodwill generated by such an endeavor would
be good for the company.  Admittedly, some sites with only limited battery
UPS power cannot do this, at least not so early in the day.  But it seems
to me that at least a few datacenters and major facilities could switch
over to independent power and just keep fueling the generators.

Question:  Why would (or wouldn't) your company switch your datacenter
loads to generator (or other off-mains) power sources, if you had the
capability and/or capacity?

Comments invited, especially from companies in CA, or with
offices/datacenters in CA.  Comments will be aggregated and (re)posted at
a later date.

(note:  this is posted from my personal account.  This inquiry is NOT
related to my employer or employment, but is posed for information,
speculation, and discussion among the NANOG and Internet communities.)

--mec