Digital Realty's APAC sustainability initiatives

Digital Realty has detailed two renewable energy initiatives in Asia Pacific that will contribute to its global carbon emissions reduction targets.

Digital Realty has signed a renewable electricity supply contract with leading energy retailer Origin Energy, contracting for wind power capacity that will see its multi-tenant data center portfolio in Australia match energy demand with renewable sources from 2024.

Digital Realty’s data centers in Sydney will be matched with 100% renewable electricity in January 2024 and its data center in Melbourne will be matched with 60% renewable in 2024 and increasing to 100% from January 2026. Digital Realty’s uptake of renewable electricity in Australia is expected to reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 70,000 tonnes annually, contributing to Australia’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development efforts to 2030 and beyond.

Digital Realty’s renewable electricity supply is supported by the Stockyard Hill wind farm, located about 150 kilometers away from its Melbourne data center. This is in line with its global approach to prioritize cost-competitive net-new renewable energy sourced within the same regions where its data centers are located.

James Magill, head of Origin Zero said, “Digital Realty approached us seeking a renewable energy solution for their data centers in Australia and we were able to offer them a cost-effective option that matches their usage with wind power sourced from Stockyard Hill Wind Farm. We’re pleased to help the company with its emission reduction ambitions.”

In Japan, MC Digital Realty, Digital Realty’s joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation, will match the electricity used at the colocation data halls at its NRT10 and KIX11 data centers with 100% carbon-free and renewable energy through the purchase of FIT non-fossil certificates from MC Retail Energy.

In support of Digital Realty’s “Carbon Neutral Roadmap” for Singapore and as part of ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency and optimize sustainability at its facilities, Digital Realty has also completed the installation of solar panels at its SIN11 data center in Singapore. Renewable energy generated by the solar project will reduce use of grid power generated from non-renewable sources. This will help reduce demand for non-renewable electricity, avoiding more than 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment annually. A similar solar energy project is underway at Digital Realty’s SIN12 data center and is expected to be completed in summer 2023.

These initiatives are part of Digital Realty’s global effort to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 68% and Scope 3 emissions by 24% by 2030, the aggressive science-based carbon emissions targets it set in 2020 with the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi). Across Digital Realty, more than 100 data centres are carbon neutral for Scope 2 and a dozen data centres in Europe have achieved carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

“As the leading data center provider, we are in a privileged position to lead the global data center industry in sustainable environmental performance,” said Jon Curry, Vice President Operations, Asia Pacific, Digital Realty. “These projects we are announcing today are important milestones in our global transition to renewable energy and towards achieving our aggressive carbon reduction goals. Digital Realty is committed to minimizing the impact of our data center operations on the environment. We seek to continually improve the way we power and operate our data centers to support the evolving needs of our global customers to help them grow in a responsible and sustainable way.”