Microsoft Corp. has agreed to purchase a large amount of clean energy to power a data center in Ireland. This makes it the second biggest corporate power-purchase agreement deal this year.
Microsoft Corp. has agreed to purchase a large amount of clean energy to power a data center in Ireland. This makes it the second biggest corporate power-purchase agreement deal this year.
The technology giant has signed power-purchase agreements with renewable energy companies to provide it with 900 megawatts of wind and solar energy, according to a statement Wednesday. This is significantly less than Amazon.com Inc's 3.5 gigawatt deal in April.
As concerns about the vast amounts of electricity consumed by large computing operations grow, big technology firms are under increasing pressure to clean up their energy consumption. According to a Nov. 8 report by Bloomberg Intelligence, companies like Microsoft have had difficulty getting planning permission for certain data centers in recent months.
Statkraft AS, Europe's largest generator of renewables, will provide Microsoft with 366 megawatts of wind and solar energy from six projects - three wind and three solar - located across the country. These projects will help Microsoft meet its goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy by 2025.
The Norwegian company will fund and manage the construction of the projects, and the power-purchase agreement will start once the projects begin operating. The company did not give a timeframe or disclose financial terms.
As a leading independent research provider, TradeAlgo keeps you connected from anywhere.