Xela Energy: The Rebrand Powering Sustainable Data Centres

UK businesses face electricity prices that rank among the highest globally.

Meanwhile, the country is also dealing with an ageing power grid and increasing regulatory pressure to decarbonise operations.

Amongst these challenges, demand for data centres are increasing alongside energy demand for cloud and AI’s acceleration – and these operators require reliable power sources as demand for digital infrastructure continues to expand.

In the data centre space, Clean Energy Capital targets large-scale power consumers with direct renewable energy solutions, positioning itself to serve data centres, industrial manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.

Now, in awareness of the UK’s need for sustainable energy, Clean Energy Capital is transforming from a renewable energy developer to what it terms an Enterprise Independent Power Provider, rebranding as Xela Energy.

How Xela Energy addresses UK power grid challenges

Combined with the rebrand, Xela Energy shows its evolution from developing renewable projects to operating as a power provider for enterprise customers.

The company offers behind-the-meter renewable energy solutions designed to provide secure, scalable and cost-effective power to organisations with high electricity consumption.

“Our rebrand to Xela Energy reflects the business we’ve become – and one we continue to build upon,” says Alexander Goodall, Founder and CEO at Xela Energy.

“It’s not just about a new name. It’s about delivering real infrastructure to solve our customers’ challenges – proactively, not reactively.”

As a result of the challenges the UK faces, Xela Energy operates as a solutions provider that funds, develops and operates renewable energy projects for customers.

The approach aims to reduce carbon emissions whilst providing long-term energy cost certainty without requiring upfront capital investment from clients.

“For us, Xela Energy is about change and innovation in the industry,” says Amy Young, Director, Data Centres at Xela Energy.

“We integrate within the local community, working with local landowners and local farmers. It’s that all-encompassing aspect of what can be produced here in the UK and how we can utilise and benefit from it.”

Xela Energy’s upgrades to accelerate the UK’s data centre market

The company has expanded from four employees to more than 25 industry specialists in recent months. Alexander says: “It’s our people who make that possible.

“Their belief, drive and commitment have shaped Xela from the very start – and they continue to push us forward every day.”

The rebranding also accompanies Xela Energy’s transition to institutional funding, moving beyond its startup origins. 

The company now owns and operates private wire infrastructure for multinational corporations, including data centre operators and technology companies.

Private wire connections enable direct power transmission between renewable generation assets and consumption sites, bypassing the public electricity grid.

This approach can provide more predictable costs and supply security compared to traditional grid connections, which often involve lengthy planning processes and uncertain pricing.

Xela Energy offers services including:

• Construction management
• Asset management
• Operations
• Health
• Safety compliance
• Regulatory adherence
• Contract management
• Billing
• Customer service
  

This end-to-end approach addresses the complexity that large power users face when implementing renewable energy projects.

“Xela Energy has grown from origins in development, to delivering large-scale renewable energy solutions for some of the UK’s largest power users,” Alexander says.

Amy adds: “We’re demonstrating a transition from a startup mentality into an actual renewable energy developer. We’re on the cusp of some very big announcements with some very big partners, so we can stand on our own now.

“We are not in startup mode – we are functioning.”

How Xela Energy is accommodating energy for AI demand

For data centre operators, private wire solutions offer potential advantages in power procurement – as traditional grid connections can involve significant lead times and pricing uncertainty, particularly in locations with high demand for electricity capacity.

As a result, Xela Energy’s commercial model centres on Renewable Energy Service Agreements, which function as private wire equivalents to traditional power purchase agreements.’’

These contracts enable customers to secure fixed pricing for renewable power delivered directly to their facilities.

Amy explains the company’s approach to customer engagement: “We will not speak to any large power user – not just data centres, but manufacturing infrastructure – until we have a viable product to speak to them about.

“We focus on the real data behind the technical design layout for the land to ensure we’re doing it in the most sustainable way.”

The company has also focused on supply chain sustainability, seeking to source components domestically where possible.

Amy says: “We’ve been focusing heavily on our supply chain over the past few years so that everything we do has sustainability in mind.

“We don’t want solar panels imported from China, for example, because that undermines everything we’re trying to offset.”

Xela Energy’s focus on industrial-scale power consumers additionally reflects the scale requirements of modern data centre operations. Hyperscale facilities, which support cloud computing and AI services, typically require tens of megawatts of capacity. 

“Our team and our industry expertise sets us apart from anybody else in the industry. We want to disrupt and challenge the status quo,” Amy says.

“We’re saying to people: you profess to be sustainable, but we’ve got a product that is truly sustainable down to the finite detail.”

“As we enter this new phase, we’re creating an organisation that is forward-looking, technology-agnostic and ready to scale,” Alexander says.

“At the heart of this rebrand is a simple belief: if our energy is unsustainable, so is our existence.”

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