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Microsoft has added another 389 megawatts of renewable energy to its portfolio as the technological giant fights to meet the energy demands required to match its ambitions of AI.
Additional renewable energy covers three solar projects developed by EDP Renewables North America, two in southern Illinois and one out of Austin, Texas. Microsoft is buying a combination of electricity to feed its nearby operations and renewable energy loans to meet demand in other places.
Microsoft hires almost 20 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, according to the company’s sustainability report. This last purchase adds about 2% to the account.
The technological giant has been obtaining power in a quick clip to feed its cloud and AI operations. Like many of its peers, Microsoft has adopted renewable energy, partly because wind and solar energy can be deployed quickly and economically.
Solar energy is specially fast. While the new gas power plants take years to build and command, a new solar farm can start producing energy in just 18 months. Developers have been planning projects that can be in charge in phases, which allows them to provide electricity centers as quickly as possible.
To allow energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, some renewable developers are resorting to the so -called hybrid facilities. Solar energy and wind are connected to one or more types of batteries, which are loaded when renewable energy flows and discharges when it is reduced. Last week, Amazon signed a contract with one of those development in Portugal.
Renewable energy purchases allow Microsoft to feed their central operations without producing contamination. It can also help Microsoft fulfill its promise to become a negative carbon by 2030. To achieve the goal, Microsoft will have to kidnap and store more carbon that its operations produce.
To achieve negative emissions, Microsoft has also invested in various forms of carbon removal, including direct air capture, improved rock weathering and reforestation. Last month, Microsoft announced an agreement with Chestnut Carbon to buy more than 7 million tons of carbon credits, enough to cover approximately half of the technology company emissions in 2023.
