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Microsoft has announced a power purchase agreement (PPA) in South Korea that will see it add up to 2.5 gigawatts of solar energy in its effort to rely solely on renewable energy by 2030.
The company has long been committed to using clean energy, but over the years has changed the way it aims to achieve its goals. While it initially started out buying renewable energy credits to offset its carbon emissions, it has now shifted its focus to PPAs that will provide clean energy to many of its operations.
The register (opens in new tab) reports that the company has 200 offices and 60 cloud regions, all of which are extremely energy intensive.
Microsoft solar energy
While the plan to install up to 2.5 gigawatts of power may sound like a sensible move to anyone familiar with their own home’s energy use, some believe that for something as large as a data center, it’s just a symbolic gesture, while others think that any progress is good progress.
Data centers have long come under scrutiny for how much energy they use, and while many chip makers have focused on delivering more energy-efficient models, our growing internet presence has increased our need for cloud storage increase drastically.
According to The Register’s report, the company had already signed PPAs late last year for renewable energy near 10 gigawatts, with claims that it had simultaneously been working to reduce emissions.
In addition to Microsoft’s own operations, it has also reported that a significant portion of the emissions associated with the company come from outside sources, such as the purchase, sale, transportation of goods and services, leaving little that the company can do except pile up the pressure on third parties.