Switch data centers now 100% green

Switch announced that as of January 1, 2016 all of its Supernap data centers and its more than 1,000 clients who are colocated at their facilities, will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, making Switch the world’s largest colocation data center environment to adopt all-inclusive green technology.

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.

“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.

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.