Under the agreement, Digital Realty has executed a long-term renewable power purchase contract to secure approximately 80 MW of solar power capacity for Facebook. Digital Realty contracted with SunEnergy1, which has developed and will own and operate the solar project, to be located within Virginia Electric and Power Company territory in North Carolina. Under the terms of the agreement, all renewable energy certificates and environmental claims will be delivered to Facebook.
This agreement marks the first back-to-back utility-scale renewable energy transaction between a data center provider landlord utilizing a virtual power purchase agreement to underpin the renewable energy supply dedicated to a customer. Digital Realty worked in partnership with Facebook to structure the transaction to align with Facebook's quality standards for new renewable energy projects within the same power grid as the data center load.
"Our scale and position as a leader in data center sustainability enabled us to execute this first of its kind agreement in support of Facebook's sustainability goals," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein.
"Facebook is committed to supporting all of its operations with 100 percent renewable energy and to improving overall access to renewable markets," said Bobby Hollis, Director of Global Energy and Site Selection at Facebook.
To-date, Digital Realty has contracted for approximately 745,000 MWh of renewable generation annually through long-term power purchase agreements, avoiding approximately 525,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The environmental benefits from Digital Realty's renewable energy sourcing efforts will have an impact comparable to meeting the energy needs of 60,000 U.S. homes per year.
