In an effort to become carbon neutral, Microsoft on Monday signed a deal to purchase energy from a Texas wind farm to power its data center for the next two decades.
The Redmond software giant inked a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) from RES Americas‘ Keechi Wind Project, a new 110 MW wind facility 70 miles northwest of Ft. Worth, Texas. Construction on Keechi will begin next year, with power flowing to Microsoft’s nearby San Antonio data center in 2015.
To purchase some of the wind energy, Microsoft used funds from its program that collects a “carbon fee,” which charges departments based on how much carbon it produces.
“Microsoft’s wind energy purchase today is worth celebrating, as it shows that the company is refusing to cede leadership in the clean energy race to competitors like Google and Apple,” said Greenpeace Senior IT Analyst Gary Cook.
The $200 million, 55-turbine facility will give Microsoft 430,000 MW hours of energy — about five to 10 percent of Microsoft’s total electricity use.
