It involves a lot of custom kit (like male right-angle PC-mount 8P8C connectors are contrary to the natural order and don't seem to exist at all), and it misses the mark on the main advantage of adopting the complexity of 802.3af PoE: Useful amounts of reliable power alongside data over inexpensive wiring, at long (~100 meter) distances.

And we're talking about a cluster of, what, a few nodes?

There's got to be a better way :)