APAC data center developer Princeton Digital Group (PDG) has partnered with Flexidao and Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) to implement India’s first hourly carbon-free energy (CFE) matching scheme at its 150MW MU1 campus in Mumbai.

The CFE scheme will utilize Flexidao's renewable energy matching software platform to align MU1’s consumption with solar generation supplied via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with TPREL on an hourly basis. TPREL originally signed the PPA to power the data center back in 2023. The 25-year agreement is tied to a captive solar project in the Nanded district of Maharashtra, India, and started generating power in June 2023.

The companies claim that the approach will improve transparency, reduce reliance on annualized certificates, and support India’s broader decarbonization goals.

Commenting on the agreement, Varoon Raghavan, PDG’s COO and co-founder, said that the project “marks an important step forward for PDG and for sustainable digital infrastructure in India,” adding that the company is “among the early adopters of time-matched clean energy at scale.”

To support the new scheme, PDG has developed new systems for automated meter data collection, hourly verification, and renewable energy proof management. This will allow the company to align the energy consumption of the data center to renewable generation under its Tata Power solar PPA. According to PDG, Flexidao’s platform and advisory services played a central role in designing these systems.

Simone Accornero, CEO and founder of Flexidao, said: “PDG’s proactive approach to time-matched clean energy sets a new benchmark for the industry in the region and helps others to follow suit. Flexidao is proud to support this milestone with our technology and advisory expertise, enabling advanced clean energy intelligence and carbon accounting that help corporate buyers like PDG achieve their clean energy goals at scale and reduce operational costs.”

As part of the deal, Tata Power has committed to honour the hourly generation alignment to meet PDG’s consumption.“We are proud to support PDG in this pioneering initiative in India which showcases the potential of renewable energy to power India’s digital future round the clock,” and that “this project reflects our commitment to delivering innovative, scalable clean energy solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said TPREL CEO and managing direction Sanjay Banga.

PDG’s MU1 campus is located within a 50-acre park in Airoli, Navi Mumbai. The first two buildings at the site are live with a combined capacity of 50MW. The first facility on the campus was delivered in Q4 2022, while the second went live earlier this year. The first phase of a 100MW expansion is currently under construction.

The company has recently secured $160 million in green loans to support the expansion of the MU1 data center.

Set up back in 2017, PDG operates data centers in China, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan.