Energy efficiency and green hosting are concepts that come up fairly often in the industry these days, as can be seen with the various green-related sessions at every conference you attend to all the "green" announcements that are published in the news week-to-week.
And with tech giants like Microsoft and Google announcing data center launches left, right and center, and energy consumption undoubtedly on the rise, green hosting is, without question, one of the most pertinent topics on the tips of everyone's tongues.
For many web hosts and data center operators, participating in some sort of carbon offsetting program or, in more dramatic cases like AISO, relying on one's own source of renewable energy, has been seemingly favorable, above the obvious "green" hardware changes and adoption of virtualization technologies.
One company we caught up with while at Parallels' third annual hosting summit, Solar VPS, has been pushing itself as a true "green" web host; one that has taken on a more holistic approach to providing "green" hosting. Besides focusing on truly reducing its carbon output overall through various means, Solar VPS also partners with other green-centric companies to educate and promote ideas of green computing and green living to entrepreneurs and small businesses through its green initiative, SolarGreen.
Here's Ross Brouse, CEO of Solar VPS, as he elaborates on his company's initiatives in a one-on-one interview with WHIRtv.
You're right, AISO is definitely one we've heard a lot about over the past year that is doing some unique things with making itself truly "green." Certainly a company we would be quite interested in interviewing in the near future, should we get the chance.
As for the issue you seem to have with Solar VPS not actually using solar power, the CEO tells me that's a question that he is asked frequently (and arguably with reason). He actually responds to this concern in a blog post if you're interested in seeing his thoughts on it.
http://www.solarvps.com/blog/?m=200806