In a significant stride towards achieving 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (24CFE), Iron Mountain Data Centers has announced a new partnership with InRange to supply clean energy to its London (LON-1) data center. This collaboration aims to ensure Iron Mountain’s energy consumption is 100% clean, 100% of the time.
With electricity prices in the UK experiencing a nearly fivefold increase over the past two and a half years, the demand for affordable renewable energy is outpacing the grid’s capacity to supply it. This surge has heightened the demand for low-cost renewable power, outpacing the grid’s current supply capabilities. The potential for rooftop solar power is immense, with commercial and industrial (C&I) buildings in the UK capable of contributing up to 10% of the nation’s total electricity needs.
InRange specializes in providing large power users with access to affordable clean energy by connecting them to surplus solar generation within the same regional grid. This innovative approach disrupts traditional energy procurement by transforming C&I buildings with surplus capacity into distributed power plants through the installation of solar panels and energy storage systems.
For large power users like Iron Mountain Data Centers, this means quick access to locally sourced, time-matched clean energy. Meanwhile, C&I building owners benefit from a seamless installation process, additional revenue streams, increased property values, and reduced energy bills.
InRange is backed by investors such as Lowercarbon Capital, Voyager, and Octopus Ventures. The company will supply 5MW annually to offset the energy needs of Iron Mountain’s LON-1 facility. This energy will be aggregated from locally generated rooftop solar power on commercial and industrial buildings. The LON-1 facility in Slough, acquired from Credit Suisse in 2017, currently offers 8.7MW of IT capacity. The first phase of the LON-2 facility, announced in 2021, provides an additional 9MW.
Iron Mountain operates 25+ data centers across North America, APAC, and Europe. Committed to going carbon-free since 2021, the company tracks its carbon footprint on an hourly basis using a service from carbon accounting firm Cleartrace.
Previously, Iron Mountain entered into a comparable rooftop solar agreement with Sunrock, utilizing power generated locally from two of Sunrock’s Dutch solar assets: one in Rotterdam and another in Oud Gastel. The Rotterdam facility has a capacity of 4.4 MW, while the Oud Gastel site contributes an additional 1.3 MW annually. Combined, these assets provide Iron Mountain with 5.7 MW of clean energy, resulting in an approximate reduction of 1.7 tons of CO2 emissions.
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