Iron Mountain to install 7.2-MW solar system at New Jersey data center

Information management company Iron Mountain announced it has closed on its largest on-site solar PPA contract to date. The 7.2-MW solar installation at Iron Mountain’s data center in Edison, New Jersey, will provide approximately 15% of the data center’s current energy load.

Developed in collaboration with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources and Black Bear Energy, which facilitated the project acting as the owner’s representative to Iron Mountain, the project is slated for completion at the end of 2019. It is claimed to be the largest rooftop solar installation of any data center in the United States.

“The on-site solar PPA will be added to a portfolio of renewable energy contracts that already cover 100% of Iron Mountain’s worldwide data center operations,” said Kevin Hagen, Vice President Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) Strategy at Iron Mountain. “It’s part of Iron Mountain’s mission to obtain local, reliable, cost effective, 24/7 renewable energy solutions to meet the company’s RE100 goal of 100% renewable electricity for global operations.”

In collaboration with Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Iron Mountain participated in the Future of Internet Power (FoIP) effort to develop an industry supported open source protocol that enables data center customers to claim the benefits of renewable energy contracts. Iron Mountain’s Green Power Pass, launched in February of this year, meets the full transparency and auditability requirements of the FoIP protocol.

Green Power Pass enables Iron Mountain data center customers to report carbon emission reductions associated with the green power consumed at any Iron Mountain data center worldwide. Early adopters of the Green Power Pass include Akamai, WeWork and Arizona State University.

“This is a great example of data center industry leaders working together to use their market influence and purchasing power in ways that encourage cost effective, renewable energy options for everyone,” said Hagen. “Renewable energy can now be delivered at or below grid costs and often with the added benefit of long-term stable pricing, making solar and wind not only the more sustainable option, but also the more economically attractive choice.”

The Edison data center building was once a printing press for the New York Times. Today, it stands as a cutting-edge example of sustainability and innovation.

“We are honored to have been selected to partner with Iron Mountain to help them meet their renewable energy goals,” said Matt Ulman, executive director of distributed generation for NextEra Energy Resources. “Iron Mountain is a model of how solar energy can help companies achieve their sustainability goals while creating significant savings. This landmark project is fully developed and in construction, and we’re looking forward to seeing it commissioned and operating.”

“This project has positive planetary and financial impact and will continue to deliver for two decades to come,” said Drew Torbin, CEO, Black Bear Energy. “We are energized to work with such a leading company like Iron Mountain.”

Iron Mountain’s Edison, New Jersey data center is one of 14 operational facilities across 13 markets and three continents. Including leasable capacity and land and buildings held for future development, Iron Mountain’s data center platform can support more than 350 MW of IT capacity at full build-out.