Maidenhead data centre becomes first solar-powered site for UK company

A Maidenhead data centre has been kitted out with more than 500 solar panels in a drive to make it completely energy self-sufficient.

Iomart’s Cordwallis Industrial Estate data centre - the company’s flagship UK site and its largest – is home to more than 12,000 servers, supporting the data of businesses across the world.

The 560 solar panels were installed in May and are expected to generate 250,000 kWh of electricity per year – helping the site avoid more than 96,000kg of annual CO2 emissions.

Data is an energy-intensive industry. International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates indicate that increased pressures on global energy supplies from data centers have nearly doubled since 2015.

A trend which, it considers, could continue with more and more businesses being driven by internet use. The IEA is a European energy policy advice agency.

Iomart wants to power all its 13 data centres through renewable energy to improve self-sufficiency.

David Gammie, from Iomart, described the Maidenhead data centre as the ‘ideal location’ for the solar project.

“We’ve already committed to powering all our data centres with 100% renewable energy.

“This installation at Maidenhead takes that commitment one step further – generating our own energy onsite, and in addition the potential to export energy back into the grid network in the future,” he said.

“Our Maidenhead data centre is the ideal location for a project like this. It has a vast roof space, making solar panels the ideal solution.”