• Exclusive Content
  • Events
  • Endeavor Business Media Energy
    1. Renewables

    Data keeper Iron Mountain selects ClearTrace to track Energy and Carbon use at sites

    Jan. 26, 2022
    The largest data centers alone can require more than 100 MW energy capacity, according to reports. Global data center load has topped 200 terawatt hours (TWh) annually
    Iron Mountain Data Center 61f1535d02637

    Data center giant Iron Mountain has hired a firm to provide hourly energy and carbon analysis for all of its facilities in the U.S.

    ClearTrace was selected to engage its carbon accounting platform to track Iron Mountain’s around-the-clock energy usage. The data center firm will be provided advanced digital infrastructure to analyze and track verifiable energy and carbon records, according to the release.

    “We are fully committed to achieving 100% clean energy for our data center customers, every hour of every day," said Chris Pennington, Director Energy and Sustainability at Iron Mountain Data Centers. “After a successful pilot with ClearTrace, we are excited for the insights their technology will provide in support of our commitment to 24/7 carbon free energy. Knowing where we are throughout the journey towards complete decarbonization is critical for accurate reporting and credible results.”

    The data and analysis should enable Iron Mountain to work with its suppliers in procuring renewables that match its current hourly shortfalls and thus achieve 100 percent carbon-free energy consumption, the company says.

    Large tech and data entities such as Iron Mountain, Google and Microsoft, are spearheading the new trend of load-matched renewables monitored around the clock.

    Related story

    How Leading American businesses go solar

    Subscribe to EnergyTech's free, tri-weekly newsletters to gain Insights into the C&I Energy Transition

    “The world's top businesses need data to be stored in carbon free data centers to achieve their ESG goals,” said Lincoln Payton, CEO at ClearTrace. “We are honored to work with Iron Mountain to lead the path forward for 100% carbon free data centers.”

    Three of Iron Mountain’s data storage campuses have already been tracking carbon free energy performance, and with the ClearTrace deal will add its additional seven data centers to the practice.

    The largest data centers can require more than 100 MW energy capacity, according to reports. Global data center load has topped 200 terawatt hours (TWh) annually.

    -- -- -- 

    (Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech and a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry from oil and gas to renewables. He can be reached at [email protected]).

    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

    For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

    Email