Latest news: cloud computing in power

Danish cloud data protection and management company Keepit has announced that all its data centres located in the Americas and Europe are powered solely by renewable energy.  

Keepit operates 10 data centres across the US, Canada, Germany, the UK and Denmark, which are powered by energy generated by local renewable energy agreements.  

The company protects cloud storage data for other third-party organisations including for companies who store information using Microsoft and Google. Both technology giants have committed to becoming entirely carbon neutral between 2025 and 2030 and the use of renewable power in delivering cloud storage is an important step for both companies.  

Keepit seeks to offer a completely zero-emissions solution to the problem of the growing carbon footprint of data centres.  

Maud Texier, Google's head of clean energy and carbon development, told ZDNET: “At the end of the day, the internet is running on data centres and from an operational perspective, the data centres are running on energy". 

Keepit exclusively uses energy which is guaranteed under guarantees of origins in the EU, renewable energy guarantees of origin in the UK and renewable energy certificates in the US and Canada. This compliance with a range of regulations could enable the company to expand its operations in the future and into other sectors, such as the power industry. 

Jakob Østergaard, Keepit's CTO, said: “Powering our data centres with clean energy has always been a priority for Keepit, so we’re proud to have reached this important goal of executing on our mission to be an ecologically responsible company”. 

Many of the world’s corporate data centres are between 30 and 40 years old and therefore not benefitting from the latest developments in energy efficiency.  

Østergaard went on to say: “In addition to providing the best cloud backup solution out there, Keepit wants to set an example for the industry to show that it is indeed not just possible, but feasible in every way -including financially- to move to fully renewable energy for powering our data centres”.

Norwegian energy data and technology provider TGS has added more locations to its multi-client offshore wind and metocean measurement campaign on the US East Coast. 

To improve its current data gathering and wind modelling, the firm has made four additional buoy deployments. These complement TGS’s floating light detection and ranging (LiDAR) buoy in the New York Bight. 

TGS has added one buoy offshore from Massachusetts and two covering the upcoming Central Atlantic lease round, as well as a buoy in the vicinity of the New York Bight. LiDAR buoys provide data to help offshore wind stakeholders reduce development costs and timelines while managing energy uncertainty. 

Companies can use data and insights from floating LiDAR buoys in pursuing wind development opportunities to de-risk the prospects well before the lease bidding process begins. TGS’ LiDAR buoys in the Central Atlantic will provide data and insights on a subscription basis, while its floating LiDAR buoys installed in Central Atlantic lease areas will supply early-stage information. 

For all five deployments, the company will use highly advanced floating LiDAR systems from Spanish marine technology firm EOLOS. The data collected will be provided to customers daily via TGS’ Wind AXIOM platform, a site evaluation and wind data analytics tool. 

TGS Digital Energy Solutions executive vice-president Jan Schoolmeesters said: “Having supported the energy industry for over 40 years with data-driven insights, TGS understands the value of gaining early access to as much relevant data as possible in the project development cycle. 

“With the multi-client floating LIDAR programme, TGS hopes to provide the best data earlier for greater risk reduction throughout the project.”

US-based solar energy company Sol Systems has partnered with technology giant Google to invest in solar projects in the US. 

The two firms have created an integrated clean energy investment and procurement strategy for solar projects being developed by Pine Gate Renewables in North Carolina and South Carolina. They will provide the required capital for constructing solar energy projects with 225MWdc of combined capacity, as well as 18MW worth of battery storage resources. 

In addition, the partnership will focus on supporting local communities in the areas where the projects are to be built. Roanoke Electric Cooperative in North Carolina will be offered initial funding, as will South Carolina’s Santee Electric Cooperative, Aiken Electric Cooperative and the Sustainability Institute of South Carolina. 

The projects will be developed at sites with low renewable energy penetration and will support Google’s efforts to run entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030. Based in Washington DC, Sol Systems currently has more than 1.5GW of solar capacity in its operating and development pipeline. 

Google Energy lead Christopher Scott said: “By 2030, we’re aiming for every Google data centre to operate on clean energy every hour of every day. As we work toward this goal, we are committed to ensuring that the communities where we operate are actively benefiting from the clean energy transition. 

“We’re excited to partner with Sol Systems to not only bring new solar projects online to one of the most difficult grids to decarbonise, but also work with them to help lower the energy burden in under-resourced communities through the clean energy transition.”