iColo, a Digital Realty company, has announced a significant expansion of its renewable energy initiatives with the installation of solar panels at its facilities in Kenya, making it one of the greenest global connectivity hubs in the country.
The data centre operator has added and commissioned over 650kW of new solar installations across its two data centre campuses in Nairobi and Mombasa.
Over 450kW of this new solar capacity is available within iColo’s NBO campus, where over 60 national and global networks aggregate, and will support continued campus expansion. The nearly 200kW of remaining capacity will be utilised on iColo’s growing Miritini Mombasa campus.
“Our solar investments are driven not only by our sustainability goals as a company but also by our commitment to support our customers’ renewable energy targets. As we further expand, Mombasa’s leading global interconnection hub that has more than 85 network providers will benefit from the campus’ expanded sustainable energy source,” said Ranjith Cherickel, Founder and CEO of iColo.
“In harnessing Kenya’s renewable energy landscape, we’re proud to lead the charge towards a sustainable future. We will continue to invest in renewable energy to keep up with our power consumption for the foreseeable future. We’re not just embracing renewable energy; we’re driving it forward,” Cherickel added.
According to the latest statistics report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Kenya’s power grid is significantly renewable with 82% of its energy generation mix comprising renewable sources including geothermal, hydro and wind.
As part of its commitment to sustainable energy solutions, iColo is actively engaging in discussions to secure additional space for further solar installations, including greenfields, car parks and rooftops at all its campuses. iColo aims to have 25% of its facilities’ power needs met by solar installations as part of its long-term goals.
iColo’s long-term plan is to align both campuses’ growth with the addition of more solar capacity to meet the growing demand in the future. The company has three data centres in its master plan, including a captive substation, and is expected to consume over 20MW at full capacity.
The company’s second data centre in Nairobi, NBO2, with an IT load of 6.5MW, is expected to come online in Q3 2025.
iColo’s recent initiatives in Kenya align closely with Digital Realty’s on-going commitment to sustainability globally. In 2020, the company joined the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), pledging to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct and indirect company emissions) by 68% and Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions in the value chain) by 24% by 2030.
In tandem with its sustainability commitments, Digital Realty has achieved notable milestones in renewable energy procurement by securing contracts for over 1.4GW of renewable power, marking substantial progress towards its clean energy objectives.
The solar expansion in Kenya expands Digital Realty’s solar power sourcing across Africa. Teraco, a Digital Realty company, recently unveiled a large-scale solar project in the Free State province of South Africa. Teraco’s initiative involves the allocation of grid capacity for a 120MW utility-scale solar development. Once operational, the solar plant is anticipated to generate over 338,000MWh annually, contributing significantly to the region’s renewable energy landscape and further exemplifying Digital Realty’s dedication to sustainable practices.
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