Data centers have become critical infrastructure, and with that, ongoing data center builds in Virginia are inevitable. But in pursuing that development, the data center industry must balance expansion with deep consideration for community needs in areas such as energy availability and the environment. That was one of the central messages emerging from a recent report on Virginia’s data center industry by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
The 77-page report, “Data Centers in Virginia,” was released in December and examines economic, energy, residential and other data center impacts in local communities. While the report acknowledged the significant local tax revenue and other benefits brought by data centers, it also included a number of recommendations and policy options on data center development for consideration by Virginia legislators.
Data Center Energy Use Takes Center Stage
Data centers are currently paying the full cost of their energy services, according to an independent review referenced in the report. But the Commission raised concerns about future data center energy requirements, projected to surge over the next 10 years due to the industry’s rapid growth. The report raised concerns about the ability of the state’s utility grid to keep pace with those demands and potential impacts to customers.
As such, the Commission recommended several measures to reduce data center dependence on the power grid, among those increased use of renewable energy.
CleanArc Brings a Visionary Approach to Renewable Energy Solutions
While meeting carbon offset goals via renewable energy procurement is often an afterthought – albeit a critical one – in data center development, CleanArc is addressing clean energy needs up front through unique renewable power arrangements.
Calling the approach “True Additionality,” CleanArc initiates the addition of net-new green electrons onto the grid in the areas where its data centers are planned, giving its customers ready access to new sources of hourly, load following, carbon neutral energy. “It’s a complete revisioning of data center energy supply, where we’ve pre-solved the challenge of carbon offset,” said CleanArc Chief Energy Officer Bill Thomas. “We’re proud to say that we’re one of the few – if not the only – data center development company approaching renewable energy planning in this forward-thinking fashion. We know it’s good for our customers, good for communities and important for reducing potential strain on the nation’s utility grid.”
Thomas emphasized that CleanArc wants to be part of the solution for all of the stakeholders in the data center ecosystem. “CleanArc delivers clean, carbon-free electrons to our facilities reducing emissions for our hyperscale customers and easing the burden on the generation required from our host utilities,” he said. “We know that meeting future power needs and ensuring greater renewable energy use will require a collective industry effort. We’re proud to be part of that process.”
How CleanArc’s Innovative Solution Works
From inception, sustainability and renewable energy sourcing have been core to the CleanArc mission. Merging the benefits of renewable energy generation with the surging consumption profiles of hyperscale data centers is one of the company’s founding pillars.
In that vein, in 2023, CleanArc launched an RFP process and received a robust response of 3 GW worth of proposals from more than 40 clean energy companies. “The energy partners we’ve selected will provide wind, solar, and other renewable sources to help offset utility power consumption on our campuses, while aiding hyperscalers in meeting their renewable energy goals,” said Thomas.
Why CleanArc is Uniquely Qualified
Founded by industry veteran James Trout, CleanArc’s executive team has collectively designed, managed or built 2 gigawatts of state-of-the-art data center facilities along with adding $5 billion in renewable energy projects. Put simply, they are a team of knowledgeable industry professionals with deep experience in data center development and the energy sector.
For instance, CEO James Trout founded CoreSite and Vantage Data Centers, COO Lindsey Bruner served as Vice President of Project Development at CyrusOne, and CCO John Day held sales and business development roles at QTS Data Centers and Sabey Data Center Properties. Added to that is Chief Energy Officer Bill Thomas, who has held leadership positions in energy trading and project origination at the world’s largest renewable energy developers.
This powerful combination of energy and data center development expertise is enabling CleanArc to build the data centers of tomorrow with fresh thinking, forward-looking strategies, and a focus on innovative energy solutions.
If you’d like to learn more about CleanArc’s data center development approach, please contact us here.
