Bloomberg Powers NY Data Center with 2.9 Megawatts of SunEdison Solar

Data centers are going through a fascinating revolution in current years. We are seeing more and more advanced work in data modularity, heat management, environmental sensors, and so much more. Now, a new contract between SunEdison and Bloomberg points toward another major advance – the management of solar power specifically for data centers. SunEdison is a global renewable energy development company, and Bloomberg is a global financial data and new company: Together they are working to provide a blueprint on how data centers can use sustainable energy in the future.

There are several good reasons that data centers have had only limited contact with solar power before. Servers require constant and predictable sources of electricity, making it hard to plan for sustainable resources when designing their centers. But the center that Bloomberg and SunEdison are working on, located in Rockland County, New York, will be partially powered by 2.9 megawatts of solar electricity. How did they do it?

The answer is in the term remote net metering. This is basically a smart grid designed specifically for natural resources. Using it, SunEdison can generate solar power from a plant and then feed it into the grid via existing power lines that ensure the flow electricity is steady and precise.

The project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 11.6000 metric tons, according to projections. This is even more remarkable when you consider that the agreement will only cover around 5% of the data centers electricity usage.

Currently, the project is still in the early stages and the net metering has not starting yet. In the solar power plant construction goes as planned it will be finished by the end of 2016. This will start a key phase in the project where the first metering attempts between the plant and Bloomberg are put into place. It will be a valuable test of smart grid technology and a look at how solar power plants can help offset the vast electricity requirements of places like data centers.

However, it’s worth noting this is not the only solar-data project that SunEdison will be working on. The company has also signed a contract with the data center maker Equinix in California that will allow Equinix to purchase some of the solar farm assets available there.