First-of-its-kind collaboration aims to coordinate location and timing of renewable generation as part of data center development process
Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers specializing in solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions, and Tract, a developer of master-planned data center parks, today announced an exclusive collaboration agreement to marry advanced renewable projects with entitled, shovel-ready sites to enable data center operators to build green campuses more quickly while reducing development risk.
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The hyperscale data center segment has played a leadership role in the energy transition through strong commitments for operations to be carbon neutral by 2030 or sooner. According to BloombergNEF, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google are amongst the largest corporate buyers of solar and wind energy in the world. As hyperscale growth continues, however, matching solar project locations and delivery timelines with data center offtake is becoming more challenging without more advanced planning and coordination. Given the scale of data center demand, matching it to renewable projects earlier in the development process improves certainty and stability for the entire system.
Silicon Ranch and Tract each bring unique capabilities and a shared vision to solve this challenge. Tract develops fully entitled, master-planned data center parks that pre-position transmission capacity, water, sewer, roads and pads to provide its customers shorter development cycles in the form of immediately usable campuses. As part of the collaboration, Silicon Ranch initiates site acquisition and interconnection processes for owned and operated utility-scale solar and battery projects—exceeding 500MW—to directly support the scale and timing of data centers on Tract campuses in Nevada and Utah.
“Silicon Ranch has deep experience supporting hyperscale data centers, with more than 2.5 gigawatts under contract with this important customer segment. We recognize their needs are evolving and are proud that this collaboration with Tract enables us to create a next generation solution that combines shovel-ready development sites with access to pre-positioned renewable generation, uniquely tailored to the needs of these customers,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO, Reagan Farr. “We are pleased to take this innovative step forward in collaboration with Tract, a company that shares our commitment to responsible land stewardship and productive long-term partnerships with host communities.”
“Our relationship with Silicon Ranch has developed over the past two years based on a joint recognition that delivering speed and certainty for tomorrow’s data center scale cannot rely on the processes and commercial models that have supported data center growth to date,” explained Grant van Rooyen, Tract CEO and Managing Partner. “As renewable power and data centers intersect, we need to plan strategically, with a longer time horizon in mind. With Silicon Ranch, we found a partner to build thought leadership and we look forward to collaborating with them in Nevada, Utah and beyond.”
About Silicon Ranch
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the country, with a portfolio that includes more than five gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unrivaled track record of project execution. Silicon Ranch has the largest agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy®, its nationally recognized holistic approach to project design, construction, and land management. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land management practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, Clearloop, helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects in American communities where significant economic and environmental benefits can be achieved. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Tract
Tract is a team of digital infrastructure experts dedicated to accelerating responsible data center growth. Tract acquires, zones, entitles, and develops master-planned data center parks to provide data center end users with speed and certainty. Tract land has access to pre-positioned power, water, and fiber in key markets where hyperscale and wholesale demand is going. Our approach is collaborative with cities and counties to ensure development is targeted for the optimal locations to maximize the revenue and economic development benefits for the community, while being good stewards of the land and minimizing the impact on neighbors. Tract is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with real estate holdings throughout the United States. For more information, visit tract.com.
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Contacts
Media:
Quarter Horse PR for Silicon Ranch
siliconranch@qh-pr.com
Jason Lohmiller
SVP of Commercial Management, Tract
media@tract.com