Data center services provider Cogeco will switch one of its two data centers in Canada to generator power for one hour on Mar. 27 in observation of Earth Hour, an annual global event during which those who choose to participate abstain from using non-essential electrical devices for one hour. The initiative's purpose is to raise awareness of climate change.

Toronto-based Cogeco will power an entire colocation facility by the back-up generator from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, the day Earth Hour takes place every year. The Toronto facility's data center floor measures 20,000 square feet, said Cogeco VP of Marketing Virginia Brailey.

While the generator has been used for back-up purposes in the past, this is the first time the company is using it for this purpose. "We've certainly done testing in the past," Brailey said. "This is a new initiative for us."

The company said in a statement the initiative will reduce load on the City of Toronto's power grid by up to 447 kW.

Cogeco provides network connectivity and managed services, including colocation, storage and business continuity. According to Brailey, it serves medium-size and large businesses in the financial, media, healthcare and public sector verticals, adding that the company received positive response from its customers to the Earth Hour initiative.

Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007. The first participants included about 2.2 million homes and businesses. Other countries came on board in 2008, according to the Web site of World Wide Fund for Nature, the organization that created the event.