Microsoft has added one other 389 megawatts of renewable energy to its portfolio because the tech large scrambles to fulfill the ability calls for required to match its AI ambitions.
The extra renewable energy spans three photo voltaic initiatives developed by EDP Renewables North America — two in southern Illinois and one exterior Austin, Texas. Microsoft is shopping for a mixture of electrical energy to feed its close by operations and renewable power credit to cowl demand elsewhere.
Microsoft contracts almost 20 gigawatts of renewable power capability, in keeping with the corporate’s 2024 sustainability report. This newest buy provides round 2% to the tally.
The tech large has been procuring energy at a speedy clip to feed its cloud and AI operations. Like a lot of its friends, Microsoft has embraced renewable energy, partly as a result of wind and photo voltaic could be deployed rapidly and cheaply.
Photo voltaic is particularly speedy. Whereas new gasoline energy crops take years to construct and fee, a brand new photo voltaic farm can begin producing energy in as few as 18 months. Builders have been planning initiatives that may be commissioned in phases, permitting them to supply knowledge facilities with electrical energy as rapidly as potential.
To allow energy 24 hours a day, seven days every week, some renewable builders are turning to so-called hybrid installations. Photo voltaic and wind are linked to a number of kinds of batteries, that are charged when renewable energy flows and discharged when it ebbs. Final week, Amazon signed a contract with one such improvement in Portugal.
Renewable power purchases enable Microsoft to energy its core operations with out producing air pollution. It might additionally assist Microsoft meet its pledge to grow to be carbon damaging by 2030. To hit the goal, Microsoft should sequester and retailer extra carbon that its operations produce.
To succeed in damaging emissions, Microsoft has additionally invested in varied types of carbon elimination, together with direct air seize, enhanced rock weathering, and reforestation. Final month, Microsoft introduced a take care of Chestnut Carbon to purchase greater than 7 million tons of carbon credit, sufficient to cowl about half the tech firm’s emissions in 2023.