Thanks, in part, to a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a new wind farm in Ringer Hill, Pa., Iron Mountain Inc. – a provider of storage and information management services – is powering its data center businesses with 100% renewable energy.
Under the newest wind PPA, the company is purchasing 25 MW of the Ringer Hill Wind Farm’s capacity to serve data centers in three states. NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the unregulated clean energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, completed the GE-powered wind project last December.
Iron Mountain’s data centers offer wholesale and retail co-location options that can meet the exacting requirements of cloud services providers, federal government agencies, systems integrators, financial services firms and healthcare companies.
“As our data center business grows, we’re always looking at how best to address power, considering it’s the largest operational cost and environmental concern,” comments Mark Kidd, senior vice president and general manager of Iron Mountain Data Centers.
“Locking in a long-term, reliable and renewable energy supply ensures price stability and cost control – delivering savings back to both Iron Mountain and our customers,” Kidd explains. “Sourcing 100 percent renewable power, along with our Better Buildings Initiative pledge to reduce energy intensity across the data center portfolio, positions Iron Mountain and our customers to meet the growing demand for data center services with affordable, clean, sustainable power.”
Iron Mountain has implemented an aggressive renewable energy strategy, relying on solar and wind power, that is projected to offset two-thirds of its North American electricity needs by 2018. In addition to the Ringer Hill Wind Farm, the company recently signed a PPA for the Amazon Wind Farm Texas and has ongoing investments in solar projects throughout the U.S. and Canada.
