Unlike traditional supply contracts, the agreement enables nLighten to monitor its renewable energy consumption with exceptional granularity – down to the asset level and on an hourly basis. The partnership, which initially started in April 2024 with the delivery of renewable power, was enhanced in January 2025 with the introduction of detailed tracking and reporting capabilities. Previously, nLighten’s UK energy procurement was based on market-driven purchases supplemented by annual Guarantees of Origin.
Conrad Energy has progressively onboarded all nLighten UK meters, consolidating what was previously a fragmented energy procurement approach. Each month, nLighten receives a detailed breakdown of its renewable energy supply from Conrad Energy. This includes asset-level insights into the share of wind, solar, and biomass sources contributing to the energy mix. The data allows nLighten to track its renewable coverage over time and calculate avoided CO₂ emissions based on the actual generation profile.
“This collaboration goes beyond what most energy suppliers currently offer in the UK,” said Francesco Marasco, VP of Energy Operations & Sustainability at nLighten. “Not only can we align our procurement with real-time pricing, but we now also have full transparency over how – and where – our renewable energy is being generated. It’s another step toward building the most sustainable edge data center platform in Europe.”
This model builds on learnings from a similar agreement nLighten established in Spain with Shell. However, the Conrad Energy agreement takes transparency a step further by providing visibility down to individual generation assets, not just the source – a level of detail rarely achieved in the market today.
“We’re proud to support nLighten’s efforts to lead the way in data center sustainability,” says Tim Foster, Director of Energy for Business at Conrad Energy. “By combining flexible supply structures with granular data visibility, we’re helping digital infrastructure operators align more closely with today’s energy realities and decarbonisation goals.”
By supplying their UK edge data centers with renewable energy and offering detailed insights into the source and asset level of generation, Conrad Energy is helping nLighten set a new benchmark for data-driven energy procurement, as part of nLighten’s broader effort to establish more transparent and flexible renewable energy partnerships across Europe. This partnership exemplifies how close collaboration between energy and digital infrastructure providers can redefine industry standards for transparency, resilience, and sustainability.
