Data Centers and Green Energy: Aruba Acquires Three More Hydroelectric Plants
Data Centers and Green Energy: Aruba Acquires Three More Hydroelectric Plants
Data centers are infrastructures that consume a significant amount of energy, and with the constant expansion driven by AI, powering them sustainably becomes an increasingly complex challenge. In most cases, there is a focus on supplying them with energy produced from renewable sources, and Aruba has long been committed to investing in hydropower by directly acquiring plants.
Recently, the company acquired three more hydropower plants, which, combined with the eight already under their control, guarantee an installed capacity of 11.6 MW.
Cafasse, Balangero, and Lanzo Torinese: Aruba's New Hydropower Plants
The newly acquired hydropower plants by Aruba are located along the Stura di Lanzo River in the province of Turin, in the municipalities of Cafasse, Balangero, and Lanzo Torinese. Together, they are capable of generating 10 GWh of renewable energy each year. The other plants are located in Lombardy along the Lambro River, with two plants in Melegnano (MI), and along the Brembo River, with facilities in Ponte San Pietro, Valbrembo, and Paladina (BG); in Veneto along the Astico River, in Chiuppano and Calvene (VI); and in Friuli-Venezia Giulia along the Fella River, in Pontebba (UD).
The decision to acquire generation capacity distinguishes Aruba from other providers, who often prefer not to have direct control but limit themselves to purchasing energy through PPA contracts, as is the case with Amazon. This allows the Italian company to have greater control over the infrastructure necessary to produce energy, enabling it to enhance them when needed. This is exemplified by the hydropower plant located on the Ponte San Pietro campus in Bergamo, which has recently been equipped with a third turbine, thus increasing energy production.
In addition to these plants, Aruba also relies on energy generated by photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of its campuses.
Alongside clean energy production, Aruba continuously works on improving the efficiency of its data centers. Technologies such as free cooling and liquid cooling directly on the chips help reduce the energy requirements related to cooling, which, after the IT load, remains one of the most significant contributors to the energy consumption of these infrastructures. The strategy therefore plays out on two fronts: producing energy from renewable sources and using less of it.
"Every new plant that becomes part of our facilities increases the share of clean energy that we produce directly and provide to the country's digital infrastructures," says Stefano Cecconi, CEO of Aruba. "This is a path we have been consistently pursuing for years: growing in renewable generation means reducing the environmental impact not only of our services but also of the IT infrastructures that clients choose to install in our data centers. Sustainability, for us, is not just a statement: it is an industrial asset that is built plant by plant."