Element Critical, a provider of tailored data center services headquartered in San Francisco, CA, announced that its Houston and Austin, TX Tier III colocation data centers are now powered by 100 percent renewable energy supplied by NextEra Energy Resources (NER). The Austin data center has a total utility power capacity of 7 megawatts (mW) with expansion plans up to 13 mW. The Houston facility is a larger 26 mW data center. In addition to Texas, the company operates data centers in Chicago, Northern Virginia and Silicon Valley.
NER is considered one of the world’s largest producers of renewable energy from wind and sun. Element Critical’s agreement with NER includes green power service options that enable it to operate a 100 percent carbon neutral footprint. With significant recent data center investments in Texas, Element Critical chose to work with a high-quality energy provider like NER to help reduce its carbon footprint as it expands.
“NextEra Energy Resources has been pivotal in advising our teams and accelerating our renewable energy initiatives,” states Ken Parent, Element Critical CEO. “We are excited to announce this first initiative as part of our goal to have 100 percent carbon offsets in place across our entire data center portfolio by 2025. Yet, our corporate commitment extends beyond PPAs, as our ultimate goal is to directly procure and generate 100 percent zero-carbon energy through a combination of on-site generation projects and direct utility provisioning 100 percent green energy by 2030.”
Element Critical has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a NER subsidiary to deliver green power from an Electric Reliability Council of Texas-connected, Texas-based wind energy center. The PPA ensures adequate renewable energy capacity to accommodate Element Critical’s and its customers’ short- and long-term sustainability goals.
“Our enterprise customers are seeking to improve their sustainability performance, incorporating broader environmental concerns into their provider partnerships and purchasing decisions,” adds Shane Menking, Element Critical COO. “Element Critical is now armed with a partner that will accelerate sustainability integration and create social value across our operations. Resolute environmental commitments are the future for our industry, and ultimately we are excited to be a part of creating a sustainable digital transformational journey for our customers.”
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