Data centers consume tremendous amounts of electricity to power their servers, storage equipment, back-ups, and power cooling infrastructure.  Last year alone, U.S. based data centers used more than 90 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, representing three percent of total U.S. electricity consumption. 

And that usage is growing. According to a recent AFCOM State of the Data Center survey, 70 percent of data center providers indicated that the power density per rack has increased significantly since 2013.  Within C-suites and among customers, there is a growing concern that the power demands of our digital infrastructure are having a major environmental impact, and it’s forcing data center managers and operators to find new ways to minimize that impact.

And that is why, DataBank, a leading provider of enterprise-class colocation, connectivity, and managed services, reached a renewable energy milestone when it reached the 100 percent renewable energy mark at one of its Minneapolis, MN, data centers, MSP2.  This is the latest in a number of initiatives that highlight DataBank’s unique approach to environmental responsibility, which span data centers across the country.   

The Minnesota experience

The Minneapolis milestone was reached when DataBank entered into an agreement with utility provider Dakota Electric Association to purchase 100% renewable energy to meet all of MSP2’s 6MW of critical IT load for the next five years. The renewable power is provided through Dakota Electric’s Wellspring program and Great River Energy. 

DataBank had already begun preparing to offset a majority of MSP2’s power requirements when it was approached by its largest customer in the data center, a F1000 enterprise software company. As part of its own corporate social responsibility initiative, the customer had the goal of reducing its environmental impact across the company, and asked DataBank if it was possible to use renewable sources for all its power consumption in MSP2. DataBank then made the decision to purchase enough green power from Dakota Electric to cover 100% of MSP2’s needs. Now that customer, and all other customers at that site will be powered by 100% renewable wind energy. 

DataBank’s commitment to environmental sustainability

For DataBank, this represents the third such milestone – as both of its data centers in Indianapolis are powered by 100% renewable energy sources – and fits into DataBank’s larger commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and reducing negative environmental impact across its facilities.

Green energy and sustainability are critical aspects of DataBank’s Data Center Evolved™ strategy — and the data centers in Minneapolis and Indianapolis join centers in Atlanta and elsewhere in seeking energy efficiency and enhancing the data center experience for its customers.

For additional information on DataBank and its locations and services, please visit www.databank.com.