Iron Mountain Inc., a storage and information management company, says it will add 18 rooftop solar arrays in five states totaling 5 MW. Standard Solar Inc., a solar energy company specializing in the development and financing of solar electric systems nationwide, is financing and will own and operate the projects as part of a long-term development partnership that will bring additional capacity online.
Arrays will be built on Iron Mountain operation centers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Maryland, and will contribute to the company’s mission to obtain local, reliable, cost-effective, renewable energy solutions to meet its RE100 goal of 100% renewable electricity for global operations.
To both maximize and optimize the number of renewables implemented for Iron Mountain, this portfolio of projects required a holistic approach. Standard Solar’s strategy, in partnership with CBRE and OnSwitch, included on-site systems, exploring remote/virtual net-metering options, community solar structures and more.
“The magnitude of this multi-state, multi-site project required Standard Solar’s knowledge of state and regional energy management programs and policies to ensure Iron Mountain could implement as much solar as possible at each location,” says Shaun Laughlin, head of U.S. strategic development at Standard Solar.
“Vital to the success of this portfolio were our partnerships – combined, we are a powerful force helping Iron Mountain take significant steps toward its goal to offset power consumption through renewable energy sources,” he adds.
CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, played an important role in bringing the project together. They support their real-estate clients, like Iron Mountain, in achieving sustainability goals in the buildings that they are helping to manage. Standard Solar’s national presence, with projects financed in more than 15 states, allows CBRE to target a wider geographic footprint for their clients’ sustainability goals.
Standard Solar also partnered with OnSwitch, whose patented AI-powered SkyQuotes platform makes it simpler for solar developers and building owners to evaluate, buy, finance and install commercial solar energy solutions at a guaranteed low price.
The first project in the portfolio, a 511 kW rooftop array at an Iron Mountain facility in Connecticut, is expected to be fully online by the end of this month.
