Data in the software industry is the brain behind every application and storage of this data has become an inevitable exercise for all future operations. But frequent power cuts are harmful to data storage and to get over these, huge equipments like generators are needed and the inputs add burden, with production cost of power increasing drastically. But if we could convert solar energy to safe guard the Data Power houses, then the results are idealistic, reducing budgets and pollution.

IBM's India Software Lab in Bangalore has just contributed towards reduce power consumption in computing systems. It has developed a system to run data centres on solar power, and is making it commercially available, perhaps the first such commercial offering in the world.

"Until now, no one has engineered solar power for efficient use in IT," said Rod Adkins, senior VP of IBM's systems and technology group, who was in Bangalore last week. "We've designed a solar solution to bring a new source of clean, reliable and efficient power to energy-intensive, industrial-scale electronics." Mr.Adkins said while the solution could bring a 10% saving in developed markets, it could be even better in emerging markets, where there are many places that are not served or inadequately served by the grid.

The first implementation is being done at the Bangalore lab itself. A solar power array has been installed, spread over more than 6,000 sft of the lab's rooftop. Kota Murali, chief scientist at IBM India, says the installation is capable of providing a 50-kilowatt of electricity for up to 330 days a year, for an average of five hours a day. The advantage of solar power is that it is DC (direct current), unlike grid power that is AC (alternating current). Mr. Murali says his facility in Bangalore suffers a 3 to 6 hour power cut on average every day, forcing them to depend on diesel generators.