Aaron Binkley, senior director of sustainability programs at Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s ESG Forum 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Binkley discussed Digital Realty’s recent signing of a virtual power purchase agreement on behalf of Facebook, Inc., to support the social media company’s renewable energy goals at data center facilities leased from the REIT. Under the agreement, Digital Realty has executed a long-term renewable power purchase contract to secure approximately 80 megawatts of solar power capacity for Facebook.
Binkley noted that Facebook announced last year that by the end of 2020 it wanted to achieve 100 percent renewable energy in its data center portfolio. He also pointed out that the structure of the transaction with Facebook can be replicated to fit other customers’ renewable energy goals.
Meanwhile, Binkley commented on Digital Realty’s efforts to build a deeper alignment and engagement with its customers. “The Facebook transaction is an example of how we were able to bring a lot of stakeholders together to do something that’s first of a kind,” he said.
The REIT is also looking at ways to deepen engagement with its own employees. Those efforts include Digital Realty’s Women’s Leadership Forum, which was launched last year.