San Antonio data center agrees to buy 100 percent renewable power

San Antonio Business Journal - 2:56 PM CST Tuesday, March 6, 2007

CityNAP became the first "green" data center in Texas by signing a new contract with CPS Energy to purchase all of its power from renewable wind-generated electric sources.

CityNAP is an Internet hub and data center that serves as a point of convergence for multiple fiber-optic networks. Through it, companies like AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) can access multiple communication networks.

"A center like ours uses a lot of energy, so we're doing everything we can to lessen our impact on the environment by using the most energy-efficient equipment and buying renewable energy," CityNAP President Frank R. Robles says.

Robles, a Silicon Valley veteran, founded the company in September 2006. CityNAP is located in downtown San Antonio.

By signing up for CPS Energy's Windtricity program, which gives customers the option of paying more for renewable energy, CityNAP has taken a leadership role in San Antonio to power its fiber-optic business with wind power, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff says.

"I hope to see other area businesses and residents sign up for CPS Energy Windtricity and reduce reliance on electricity produced by fossil fuels," Wolff adds.

CPS Energy CEO Milton B. Lee says renewable energy from wind, solar and landfill gas now comprises 11 percent of the power company's peak electrical demand.

The municipally owned utility's goal is to have 15 percent of its peak demand met by 2020.