Sustainable Hosting - is it possible in Iceland?

We had the opportunity to speak with Dirk Rene Hirsch from Petricore Green Hosting about the advantages and disadvantages of hosting in Iceland and how Petricore is positioning itself to offer sustainable hosting.

Hello Dirk, could you briefly introduce your company?

Hi, my name is Dirk Rene Hirsch. I am the managing director and the visionary behind Petricore Green Hosting GmbH. The idea for Petricore originated some time ago and was initially conceived as a prototype for a 'it can be done differently' idea. However, it was so well received that in early 2021, I decided with three co-founders to turn the concept into its own company.
Currently, we offer web space, for example for WordPress, and email services on Icelandic servers powered 100% by renewable energy. In the autumn, we will expand our portfolio to include virtual machines and a managed Nextcloud solution.
But for us, sustainable hosting is not just about using green energy and conserving resources. The service should also be sustainable. That's why we offer a managed alternative for our WordPress customers and are available to assist them via email 7 days a week. If communication via emails and tickets is not sufficient, our customers have the option to book 1:1 support.

Could you explain to our readers how Petricore differs from other green hosting solutions?

When I had the idea for Petricore, there were hardly any hosts in Germany consciously using green energy. At that time, I was involved in a citizens' initiative on a voluntary basis and delved deeply into the challenges of the German (eco)energy market. I realized that it would be a long journey before we could fully transition to renewable energies. So, I started looking for a server location that would significantly reduce environmental impact. After all, every point in Europe is reachable in milliseconds via fibre optic.

My focus turned to Iceland. Several decades ago, Iceland almost exclusively switched its energy supply to hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. Additionally, the average outside temperature is so low that cooling can be done almost year-round without the need for refrigeration units. The local data centres are designed for High-Performance Computing, enabling a lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) compared to Germany. This means that hosting there not only results in fewer emissions per kWh, but also significantly reduces overall power consumption.

What hosting products do you offer?

Currently, we mainly offer traditional shared hosting for WordPress, providing web space and email services. Upon request, we also take care of updates and provide additional security measures against hackers for WordPress. In the autumn, we will expand our portfolio to include Linux VPS hosting and a managed Nextcloud solution. Furthermore, we are introducing a reseller and agency partner programme to offer our customers even more choices and opportunities.

Can you briefly explain why hosting in Iceland has an advantage over hosting in DE/EU?

In addition to the points mentioned above? Since there is no power cable connecting Iceland to the European mainland, Iceland – unlike, for example, Norway – is not allowed to sell electricity to Europe. However, this does not mean that we cannot directly consume the electricity there. By placing servers for European customers in Reykjavík instead of Frankfurt – where most servers in Germany are located – we save the (ecological) power that would be consumed for usage and cooling here. This saved power can then be used for our heat pumps or electric cars.

GDPR is always a killer argument. How do you see this when hosting in Iceland?

Since 25th May 2018, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has been in effect throughout the EU, including the European Economic Area. This means that from a data protection perspective, it makes no difference whether the server is located in Germany or Iceland. After all, the GDPR aims to protect end customers' data, not server providers.

Do you foresee any speed losses due to the connection in Iceland compared to Frankfurt?

In theory, yes – Iceland is further from the client than, for example, Frankfurt. However, the entire distance is routed over fibre optic cables, and whether the light travels 100 or 1000 km is marginal – what matters more are the routing points and network nodes processing the signal. The more of these points there are, the more time data packets need to travel from client to server and back. However, between the North Sea coast and Reykjavik, the light has a clear path.

What do you expect for the next 5-10 years? How will the industry change in terms of sustainability?

I hope that creative flagship projects like ours will strengthen the demand for sustainability in the digital industry. Politics and business will hopefully promote more transparency and efficiency regarding sustainability. Additionally, the growing consumer desire for environmentally friendly solutions will influence providers' actions and drive the entire industry towards greater sustainability.

Thank you for your time! The interview was conducted by Marco Keul, founder and operator of hosttest

Profile of Petricore Green Hosting GmbH

Name: Dirk Rene Hirsch
Position: Initiator & Managing Director
Legal form: GmbH
Employees: <10
Established since: March 2021
Clientele: Agencies, (sustainable) web workers
Products offered:

• Web hosting
• Managed Wordpress & WooCommerce Hosting
• Domains
• Reseller & Agency Hosting
• From autumn: VPS hosting

Photo: Rene Grossner from Pixabay,
Dirk Rene Hirsch