Microsoft announced a new long-term energy agreement with energy company AES, enabling the tech giant to power its data centers located in Virginia with round-the-clock renewable energy.
According to the companies, the 15-year deal will help Microsoft achieve its 100/100/0 clean energy goal. Unveiled in July 2021, the goal envisions Microsoft having 100% of its electricity consumption, 100% percent of the time, matched by purchases from zero carbon energy sources, adding to the company’s prior commitment to use 100% renewable energy in its buildings and datacenters globally by 2025.
Brian Janous, General Manager Energy & Renewables at Microsoft, said:
“By leveraging AES’ capability and presence in the PJM market, we are able to both secure additional renewable supply in support of meeting our commitment to use 100% renewable energy by 2025, and also take a meaningful step toward having 100% of our electricity matched by zero-carbon resources all of the time in the region. We believe innovative commercial structures like this with AES and integrating new technologies will be key as we continue to move toward our 100/100/0 commitment.”
AES stated that it will source the energy for the agreement from its 576 MW portfolio of contracted renewable assets, which include wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects. The agreement will utilize both existing renewable projects, while also adding new renewable resources.
Andrés Gluski, AES President and CEO, said:
“Microsoft is a leader in the energy transition with its commitment to being 100% powered by zero-carbon electricity by 2030. We’re proud of the solution we co-created with Microsoft to help meet that commitment with the delivery of 24/7 zero-carbon electricity to its Virginia-based data centers. Working together with leading corporations, we are setting new standards for decarbonizing their operations and the grid.”
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