Digital Realty celebrates sustainable gigawatt achievement

With the publication of its fourth annual ESG Report, Digital Realty reveals progress towards environmental goals – hitting the milestone of securing one gigawatt of IT capacity in accordance with sustainable building standards.

Digital Realty has published its fourth annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report – underlining a commitment to lead the global data center industry in sustainable environmental performance.  The report demonstrates notable progress towards ESG goals, across more than 290 facilities in 50 metros across 26 countries on six continents.

 

Digital Realty has become the first data center operator to reach one gigawatt of IT capacity certified in accordance with sustainable building standards, after adding six new green building certifications in the U.S., U.K., and Japan in 2021.  Having certified 34 data centers under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star Certification program (67% of its US-owned and managed portfolio), Digital Realty is also leading the industry in energy efficient building.  Digital Realty received the EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for its efforts in 2021.

 

Digital Realty achieved 64% renewable energy coverage globally in 2021, an increase of 14% from 2020 – with 100% renewable energy coverage for its U.S. colocation and Europe portfolios, as well as carbon neutrality in France.  Digital Realty also expanded its renewable portfolio and added green assets to the energy grid, contracting for 118 megawatts (MW) of solar and wind to support its data centers in Georgia and Texas, bringing the total amount of solar and wind energy under contract in the U.S. to 910 MW.

 

In addition, progress was made toward Digital Realty’s 2030 science-based carbon reduction targets, with the business achieving a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 (direct and indirect) emissions, and an 11% reduction in Scope 3 (indirect emissions within the company’s extended value chain).  By 2030, Digital Realty has committed to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 68% and Scope 3 emissions by 24% per area, from 2018 levels.

 

Alongside impact made through sustainable building and renewable energy sourcing initiatives, Digital Realty also completed the issuance of two additional green bonds in 2021.  Since 2015, the Company has raised more than $6 billion of green bonds through eight separate issues – Digital Realty is the leading issuer of green bonds throughout real estate investment trust (REIT) sector and the data center industry.

 

“The climate crisis, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion are some of the most critical issues facing society today,” comments Aaron Binkley, VP Sustainability, Digital Realty.  “How we respond to these challenges as a business is something we take extremely seriously.”

 

“Solving them requires more ambitious thinking and radical action from governments, businesses, and consumers.  For example, harnessing the power of data can help us innovate and scale the technologies required to deliver a sustainable environment for future generations.  As data centers have become the central nervous system of the global digital economy, we have a responsibility to act.  We’re proud of the work we’re doing in this area, but know we need to go further, push the boundaries, and accelerate our efforts across the ESG agenda.”

 

“As we expand our global reach and customer base in 2022 and beyond, we remain committed to leading the industry in sustainable environmental performance and being a responsible partner to our customers and employer to the people who power our business,” concludes Binkley.

Intense, urgent demand for artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities – and the dueling pressure to reduce energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions – loom large over the data centre industry heading into 2024.
The AI-based cooling system implemented in FR6 with energy intelligence startup etalytics had significant effects on the data center’s carbon footprint with an increase in energy efficiency by up to 9% of the data center infrastructure. Due to the promising results of the pilot project, the cooperation is being expanded as a first step across nearly all IBX data centers in Frankfurt.
Kohler Energy is introducing a new hydrogen KDI engine and its first-ever hydrogen fuel cell power system, expanding an ever-growing portfolio of clean energy solutions.
A new white paper from the European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) talks through Scope 1, 2 & 3 requirements and provides examples of reports from the tech sector.
Standalone business providing energy resilience solutions expected to benefit from Platinum Equity’s carve-out experience and operational expertise.
Schneider Electric has finalised the acquisition of EcoAct SAS, an international leader in climate consulting and net zero solutions headquartered in Paris, France. The completion of the transaction follows consultation with the relevant employee representative bodies and approval from the competent regulatory authorities.
Telehouse research finds 81% of IT decision-makers are confident about achieving net-zero targets.
Comprehensive power distribution solution upgrade improves security, safety and sustainability for tech-savvy Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) at their Meilahti Hospital Area.