Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) is partnering with Kao Data to develop, build and operate a 40MW solar photovoltaic farm.
Known as The Green Data Solar Farm, the project will supply Kao Data’s data centre campus in Harlow, in the UK.
Kao Data said the initiative would support its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing energy resilience through verified renewable sources.
The private wire renewable energy project is also anticipated to be one of the first, ground-mounted solar PV systems supplying a UK colocation data centre campus, directly powering Kao Data’s industrial-scale infrastructure via solar array.
Kao Data will procure the electricity via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), securing long-term, dedicated access to renewable energy source and supporting the company’s target to become fully net zero by 2030.
Tony Gannon, head of DRD, said: “The agreement with Kao Data reflects the growing importance of integrated clean-energy solutions in digital infrastructure. With a strong track record in renewable energy deployment and a UK pipeline exceeding 6GW, Downing is well positioned to support the evolving energy needs of mission critical assets such as data centres. This is a significant milestone for Downing as it’s our first project with a data-centre operator in a sector which is growing rapidly and driving future energy demand.”
Mathew Harris, chief financial officer, Kao Data, said: “Energy availability, power pricing and grid delays continue to be three of the leading challenges for UK data centre operators, and without decisive action and innovation our country could lose pace in the AI race.
“Our collaboration with DRD demonstrates how companies like Kao Data can take proactive action to solve some of the UK’s renewable energy challenges directly, and deliver green power at-pace and scale, to exactly where it’s needed.”
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