environment
We are committed to using energy efficiently and transitioning from emission-intensive sources to clean, renewable alternatives. These efforts help us, as well as our customers, progress toward our climate goals.
In addition to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency in our data centers drives innovations that keep us at the forefront of our industry. Our operational performance improvements are aligned with ISO 50001, and we use power usage effectiveness (PUE) as our primary performance indicator.
Our Energy Efficiency Center of Excellence (EE CoE) team sets the strategic direction for our efficiency initiatives and helps sites develop comprehensive, long-term plans primarily focused on improving cooling system efficiency. At each sub-region, a program manager and dedicated site team implement the plan.
We monitor PUE to understand usage trends and assess the impact of our energy efficiency interventions. Tracking PUE also allows us to provide data to customers and prospective customers who may prioritize partnering with data center providers operating below specific PUE thresholds. The closer PUE is to 1, the more efficient the data center. We target a global average PUE of 1.33 by 2030. This goal is supported by site-level PUE targets and initiatives that we reassess annually.
Improving PUE presents unique challenges due to the scale of our operations and the diverse locations we serve. Our edge-focused approach prioritizes proximity to our customers, which means adapting to varying climate conditions that can influence efficiency. Despite these challenges, we achieved a global annualized average PUE of 1.39 in 2024, a 6% improvement from 2023 despite an expanded portfolio. Technology alone did not get us here. Our culture of continuous improvement, enacted every day by our site-level teams and supported by a top-down dedication to making our operations more sustainable, contributed to this accomplishment.
Equinix played a key role in the ISO/IEC 30134-2 power usage effectiveness review in 2024. Through our active participation in the ISO/IEC 30134 committee, we contribute our expertise and experience with PUE to help update and improve existing best practice guidance. This underscores our dedication to optimizing energy efficiency and reducing our environmental impact.
Our four-phase framework provides sites with a blueprint for consistently improving PUE. Focused on maximizing cooling efficiency, the framework seeks to:
Optimize air containment
Phase 1
Maximizing the separation of supply and return air.
Example
Installing hot or cold aisle containment; installing blanking panels; removing other air leakages.
Optimizing cooling units in
data hall
Phase 2
Optimizing the set points and control systems of the data hall cooling units.
Example
Adjusting supply air to the actual requirements.
Optimize cooling
distribution
Phase 3
Optimizing the water distribution system to the required situation.
Example
Adjusting water flow and pressure.
Optimize cooling
generation
Phase 4
Optimizing the design of the cooling generation plant.
Example
Adding free cooling capacity.
We track key performance indicators for air and water temperatures at each phase, allowing us to measure progress and substantiate our efforts. Ideally, sites would go through the phases sequentially, but the framework is adaptive. Our processes facilitate retroactive implementation of earlier phases when real-world conditions necessitate a later phase be rolled out first.
Case Study
Our DB3 team achieved an 8% PUE reduction in just six months through airflow management (Phase 2). Their approach tailored cooling to each data center hall and was successful due to:
Execution of this project led to nearly 100,000 kWh of savings in less than a year.
Since 2022, we have phased in ASHRAE A1 Allowable (A1A) standards at sites across our global portfolio. Enabling data centers with the flexibility to run at higher temperatures can save energy that would be used for cooling without compromising processing power. We are making A1A service level agreements (SLAs) our standard for new sites and have launched an initiative to migrate existing customers. Although A1A standards have not yet been implemented across all our facilities, we are collaborating with our customers to adopt these standards wherever possible. All Equinix data centers in the Netherlands updated contracts with customers to allow for A1A standards in 2024. We expect A1A compliant temperatures to be rolled out at these sites in 2025.
“The implementation of A1A has been a gradual process that not only necessitated understanding from and the collaboration of our customers but has only been possible with the firm dedication and commitment of our IBX Operations team. Changing the operating environment in a live site comes with many challenges but is a valuable process in several ways. Adopting the new SLA and new temperature and humidity targets is proof of our commitment to determinedly explore every energy efficiency opportunity.”
Hans Schelvis
Lead Mechanical Engineer, IBX® Operations, The Netherlands
While our offices account for a smaller share of our footprint compared to our data centers, they still consume energy—primarily through heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting. Through our energy monitoring efforts, we have developed a robust understanding of our emission sources. We responsibly manage energy usage across our workplaces.
Since 2019, we have sought ways to reduce office square footage, thereby reducing energy demand. In 2024, we transitioned from free-addressing to “activity-based working,” allowing employees to choose from a variety of workspaces to accommodate their preferences and use space more efficiently. Through a dedicated platform, we track attendance patterns and optimize space usage.
We also installed additional sensors in offices and plug load management devices to use energy only on an as-needed basis. These control systems are now required in all new office builds.
To address energy and emission impacts from office construction, we are developing a Sustainability Design Guide that will be completed in 2025 for our workplaces. The guide will focus on reducing embodied carbon and provide guidance for selecting materials and equipment with a lower environmental impact.
In 2024, we achieved 96% global renewable energy coverage across our global portfolio, which includes 268 data centers in 35 countries. A variety of energy attribute certificate (EAC) types and procurement methods enabled this achievement—including power purchase agreements (PPAs), bundled and unbundled contracts and grid-delivered renewables. Across the board, we aim to:
Our goal is to achieve 100% clean and renewable energy coverage across our global portfolio by 2030. We demonstrate our dedication to reducing our impact and helping customers achieve their climate priorities by pursuing clean and renewable energy coverage for both building overhead and customer IT equipment. As we near our target, we continue to enhance the quality of our renewables, investing in projects that contribute new generation capacity to the grids where we operate.
268
data centers1
34
million gross square feet
35
countries
8,560
GWh of electricity consumed
793,000
equivalent to electricity usage of 793,000
U.S. homes in a year2
96%
renewable globally
250
sites with 100% RE Coverage
1,285
MW of PPAs under long-term contract
219
MW of PPAs signed in 2024
1included in the 2024 operational (Scope 1 & 2) GHG boundary
2Based on the U.S., EIA’s 2022 average household electricity consumption
Our renewable energy portfolio includes procuring EACs from several sourcing mechanisms. Key terminology for understanding the RE landscape is detailed below, as well as in an Equinix blog.
are market-based instruments that represent the environmental benefits associated with the production of one megawatt-hour (1 MWh) of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. The sources typically include, but are not limited to, wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal generation. EACs serve as a legal claim to the renewable energy generated, allowing organizations to substantiate their commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.
EACs can be generated from PPAs (see below) or purchased through third-parties, utilities or retail energy providers. Purchases from third parties are typically referred to as unbundled contracts since the EAC is unbundled from the underlying electricity contract, whereas bundled contracts include both the cost of the EAC and underlying electricity. Bundled contracts are typically only available through utilities or retail energy providers.
In many cases, we utilize unbundled or bundled EACs as an initial step in our renewable energy sourcing journey, and we are actively working to transition away from them as we pursue more integrated solutions such as PPAs.
are long-term contracts between a buyer and a seller for the purchase of electricity at predetermined prices. At Equinix, we have a strategic focus on rapidly scaling our renewable energy PPA efforts in the markets where we operate. We believe that these agreements provide essential financial support to renewable energy projects, enabling them to secure the necessary funding to develop new assets. By entering into PPAs, Equinix not only enhances its own sustainability efforts but also contributes to the growth of renewable energy generation in the grids where we operate.
includes EACs that are bundled into a supply contract and represent an arrangement where a retail energy supplier provides electricity to consumers along with the associated environmental benefits of that energy. In this context, EACs serve as proof that a specific amount of electricity has been generated from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, hydropower or geothermal energy.
PPAs are our preferred mechanism for procuring renewable energy. They provide additionality, or new clean energy generation, which grows the share of renewables on the market. By developing long-term PPA relationships with reputable developers, we accelerate toward our goals and help decarbonize local grids.
In 2024, we executed five new PPAs, with a significant focus on the APAC region. Notably, one of these projects will be our first in Australia, where a lack of PPA access has historically challenged our ability to achieve 100% clean and renewable energy coverage. Once completed in 2029, the project will close the final 4% gap toward our goal. To date, we have committed to PPAs with a total generation expectation of roughly 3,250 GWh globally. Of these, nine are with developers we have partnered with for more than one transaction. For example, we have partnered with Neoen on multiple PPA projects.
Case Study
In 2024, we began funding our first physical PPA in India. This hybrid PPA will come online in 2025, with 26.4 MW of solar and 6.6 MW of wind energy generation capacity. Indian grids are generally more carbon intensive than those in Europe or the United States because the electricity generation is primarily fueled by coal.3 As such, this new PPA will have a big impact toward decarbonizing our operations in the region while also generating additional green electrons to other users in the region.
3According to Statista
Due to the scale of our operations, generating sufficient solar electricity on-site to meaningfully reduce our footprint is not practical. As a result, on-site installations contribute only marginally to our renewable energy strategy. These projects still play a valuable role in decarbonizing our operations and/or local grids by adding new generation capacity, so, where possible, we install solar arrays at select sites during construction. Currently, we have 6 MW of installed on-site solar capacity across our global portfolio.
