Web hosting provider and data center operator Hetzner Online has opened up more than 3,500 sq m of space at its two data center locations in Germany for colocation.

The sites, at Nuremburg and Falkenstein user direct free cooling for cooling and Hetzner has been awarded the "GreenIT Best Practice Award" for its use of the concept at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin.

It said the sites have also been certified with an excellent energy-efficiency ratio of 1.1242 from the international certification agency TÜV Süd, the best result ever recorded during TÜV certification.

As well as web hosting, the company has added colocation services to its portfolio through the new sites, with 19-inch racks and up to 47 rack height units. Each rack has up to four power circuits, each with ten amp loads and price for power is individually calculated per rack.

Hetzner said it is also offering what it calls a Colocation Rack Advanced offer which provides strict separation of warm and cold air areas to prevent thermal recirculation thereby lowering energy consumption.

Cold air is conducted via above-average raised flooring into the enclosed corridor and released through the racks into the air outside.