“ WE DO A LOT OF PHILANTHROPIC WORK AND VOLUNTEERING , WHILE ALSO ENSURING WE ’ RE ACCURATE AND TRANSPARENT WITH OUR ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS PRACTICES ”
TRAVIS WRIGHT VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY , QTS
“ When QTS decided to take on the challenge of sustainability , we did it with an open mind and the need to provide total transparency and public disclosure for our employees , our customers , and our shareholders ,” Wright said .
According to Wright , QTS ’ board of directors , led by CEO Chad Williams , was adamant in the belief that it could “ create value for our investors and benefit society at the same time .
“ After a comprehensive vetting process , we determined our core environmental pillars to be energy , water and waste . We formalised key goals including a commitment to procure 100 % of our power from renewable sources and we would do it by reducing the amount of utility power and offsetting it with renewable resources such as solar and wind .”
That commitment has since shifted from pure-play solar and wind renewable to carbon-free , which includes nuclear and large-scale hydro . This shift is predicated upon the fact that data centres are becoming so big that they are impacting not only the environment but the stability and resiliency of the utility grid .
“ Solar and wind generate electricity in a less predictable way , referred to as intermittent generation . When we go into a new market and introduce a large 200-400-megawatt data centre campus , we are taking flat , predictable baseload energy off the grid . If we then turn around and develop a solar or wind facility to offset
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