Microsoft switches on renewable energy in Asia

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Technology giant Microsoft has entered into agreements with Singapore and India to purchase renewable energy. While the Singapore deal is the company’s first foray into renewable energy in Asia, India's venture boosts the government’s efforts to scale up solar power in the country.

The firm on Wednesday announced the completion of its first renewable energy deal to purchase three megawatts of solar-powered electricity from Atria Power to help power its new office building in Bangalore.

Solar energy will meet 80 percent of the projected electricity needs at the new facility. The deal is part of a program by the state government of Karnataka to encourage investments in local solar energy operations.

The company’s agreement also promotes an Indian government policy to scale up the generation of solar power to 100 gigawatts by 2022 to mitigate the effects of climate change.

"Investing in local solar energy to help power our new Bangalore office building is good for Microsoft, good for India and good for the environment," said Anant Maheshwari, president of Microsoft India.

“We are proud to be deepening our long history of partnership and investment in India with this agreement. This deal will help us grow sustainably and supports the growth of the Indian solar energy industry so that the entire country can more easily and reliably access clean electricity."

Last week, Microsoft signed its first clean energy deal in Asia with an agreement with Sunseap. The deal will create the single largest solar energy portfolio in Singapore.

The 60 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar portfolio will span hundreds of rooftops across the nation. The deal is the most significant rooftop solar project in Singapore, and the first rooftop solar portfolio in the country focused on serving data center energy consumption.

"This deal is Microsoft's first renewable energy deal in Asia, and is our third international clean energy announcement, following two wind deals announced in Ireland and the Netherlands in 2017," said Christian Belady, Microsoft's general manager of cloud infrastructure strategy and architecture.

Through a 20-year agreement, Microsoft will purchase 100 percent of the renewable energy exported to the grid. Microsoft’s total global direct procurement in renewable energy has reached up to nearly 900 megawatts.

Microsoft is planning to supply at least 50 percent of its total energy demand with wind, solar and hydropower electricity by the end of 2018.