Colocation may be the wave of the future in terms of hosting services, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. One problem with colocation – with data centers in general, really – is that they consume massive amounts of electricity which, in turn, produces a sizable carbon footprint. It’s not hard to see why. All those servers, all those climate control measures, security cameras, redundancy features, etc. run on electricity.
Fortunately, there’s hope. Switch is carrying out its White House American Business Act on Climate Pledge by running solely on renewable energy.
Details of the Announcement
Switch made the announcement at the beginning of the year. Its SUPERNAP data centers – including over 1,000 clients who receive colocation services through these facilities – will now be powered exclusively by 100% renewable energy. By doing so, Switch has officially become the largest colocation data center environment on the planet to adopt all-green technology.
While there are other companies in the industry that purchase renewable energy credits, this is seen far more favorably by environmentalists. Many of those companies also buy those credits from several states away, a practice that is known as “greenwashing.”
Instead, Switch will be getting the energy it needs directly from new solar facilities located right in Nevada.
The 2015 Clean Energy 8.0 Summit
During last year’s Clean Energy 8.0 Summit – which took place in Las Vegas – the featured keynote speaker was President Barack Obama. It was also during this prestigious event that Switch became the first company out of Nevada to join the American Business Act on Climate Pledge.
The initiative – which is led by the White House – brings together private companies that pledge to combat climate change.
Switch Works Closely with Local Officials
As a further sign of their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, Switch went out of its way to work closely with the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and NV energy in order to create the NV Green Energy Rider tariff for Southern Nevada.
The tariff takes advantage of NV Energy’s massive network of renewable generation resources. This includes hydro, wind, thermal and solar options. Combined with Switch’s two solar generation projects, these resources have made the colocation provider 100% green around the clock and without having to sacrifice performance.
A Big Step Forward for Nevada
Aside from what this means for the company and its clients, the move also represented a big step forward for the entire state. As NV Energy President and CEO Paul Caudill said, “Switch has set a new standard for using renewable resources to power their growing business. We all are proud to partner with Switch to help it become the first southern Nevada customer to be supplied by 100 percent renewable energy. Switch’s leadership has opened the door for other large customers, including the City of Las Vegas, to meet their own renewable energy goals without negatively impacting the rates of other customers.”
Many hope that Switch has started a trend that will help Nevada become a beacon for renewable energy throughout the United States.
Setting a New Standard for Data Centers
At the beginning, we mentioned that Data Centers consume a lot of electricity. According to the National resources Defense Council (NRDC), they’re actually one of the largest consumers and fastest growing in the whole country. The NRDC believes that data centers here may consume as much as 91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
It’s still too early to tell how this story will end, but there is definitely plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future. If Switch can set a trend that ripples throughout the industry, we may have a much healthier planet to look forward to.