Equinix has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunEdison for 105 megawatts of new solar power.
The solar deal will cover all of Equinix’s California data centers, including 11 facilities in the Los Angeles and Silicon Valley metro areas, as well as its Redwood City, California global headquarters.
Equinix’s data center footprint will increase its use of clean, renewable sources from 30 percent to 43 percent globally.
The project will be located in the territory of San Diego Gas & Electric near Calexico, California, and just north of the United States-Mexico border. Construction of the 150 MWAC total capacity solar farm is expected to begin in 2015 and achieve commercial operation in the second half of 2016.
The Mount Signal Solar II project is expected to generate 300,000 MWh per year to offset Equinix’s electrical consumption. The project will effectively reduce Equinix’s carbon footprint by over 180 million lbs of CO2 annually.
Earlier this year Equinix announced its commitment to 100 percent clean and renewable energy for its entire global footprint of 105 data centers located in 33 markets.
Most recently it deployed a 342 kWp PV solar system at its SG3 International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Singapore and is in the process of installing a 1MW fuel cell system, fueled by bio-gas, at its Silicon Valley (SV5) data center.
Karl Strohmeyer, president, Equinix Americas, said: “This PPA is a major milestone in achieving our long-term goal of reaching 100 percent renewable power and it solidifies Equinix’s position as a data center leader in sustainability.”