As of today, Switch and all of its SUPERNAP data centers and its more than 1,000 clients who are colocated at their facilities, are powered by 100 percent renewable energy, making Switch the world’s largest colocation data center environment to adopt all-inclusive green technology. Unlike other data center providers who only purchase renewable energy credits, sometimes from several states away, in a process that many believe leans towards ‘greenwashing,’ Switch will be producing the renewable energy it needs to run its SUPERNAP data centers through new solar facilities operating in Nevada.
During the construction of its new 180-megawatts of solar generation projects, Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2, Switch has partnered with local utility NV Energy to utilize renewable energy from existing facilities in the state.Construction of Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 will be completed by First Solar in partnership with NV Energy and Switch before the end of 2016.
During the 2015 Clean Energy 8.0 Summit held in Las Vegas where President Barack Obama was the featured keynote speaker, Switch became the first data center provider and first Nevada company to join the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. The White House-led initiative brings private-sector companies together who pledge to combat climate change. Switch pledged its commitment to running its data centers on 100 percent renewable power.
In an effort to further cement its commitment to implementing renewable energy use, Switch worked closely with NV Energy and the Nevada Public Utilities Commission to develop the NV Green Energy Rider tariff for southern Nevada. The tariff utilizes NV Energy’s vast network of renewable generation resources including geo-thermal, wind, hydro and solar combined with Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 to deliver 100 percent green energy services to Switch 24/7.
“Switch has set a new standard for using renewable resources to power their growing business,” said NV Energy President and CEO, Paul Caudill. “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.”
In addition to benefiting more than 1,000 Switch clients, the promise to actualize 100 percent renewable power across its facilities will help advance the state of Nevada as a leader in green technology and assist with protecting the environment.
“When I started Switch 16 years ago it was with a commitment to sustainably running the Internet,” said Founder and CEO of Switch, Rob Roy. “From the more than 218 patented technologies that run the SUPERNAP data centers to the third-party audited industry leading Power Usage Effectiveness (P.U.E.) to the purchase of 100 percent renewable power, Switch has cemented itself as the leader of sustainability in the data center industry.”
According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), data centers are one of the largest and fastest growing consumers of electricity in the United States. The environmental action group estimates that U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or enough electricity to power all the households in New York City twice over.
Switch’s green technology movement aims to positively change the energy consumption model throughout its data centers and evolve to become an influential company that will inspire change within the data center industry. By building new, local resources Switch is demonstrating its commitment to the renewable energy principles of additionality and locality.
