Downing Renewable Energy Developments, a subsidiary of Downing, has announced an agreement to develop, build and operate a 40MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm for Kao Data.
The 40MW Green Data Solar Farm will supply Kao Data’s data centre campus in Harlow via a private wire arrangement. Kao Data will procure the electricity via a power purchase agreement (PPA).
Downing said the collaboration demonstrates “how the private sector can work hand-in-hand with local authorities to help deliver the technological and economic ambitions set out in the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, while helping alleviate grid constraints”.
Tony Gannon, Head of Downing Renewable Developments 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 (CFO), Kao Data, said “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.”