As Microsoft turns to renewable sources of energy, the company recently announced the signing of a 15-year power purchase agreement for the energy produced by a 74-megawatt solar power facility in North Carolina, called the Wilkinson Solar Energy Center. With the execution of this deal, Microsoft becomes the sole user of the energy generated at the Wilkinson Solar Energy Center.
Built, owned and operated by privately-owned Invenergy, the new project is expected to deliver economic investment and jobs for Beaufort County, clean energy to Microsoft and growth to the U.S. solar power industry.
This deal will upsurge Microsoft’s energy portfolio at more than 1.3 gigawatts.
Expected to be commercially operational by 2019, the new facility is likely to add more than 500 jobs during its construction period. The company boasts of its commitment to local communities that benefit economically from Microsoft’s energy projects.
Tech giants are increasingly turning to renewable energy projects. A case in point is Amazon’s Amazon Wind Farm Texas, the company’s biggest wind farm, which is now operational. At the time, the business said the facility would add over 1 million megawatt hours of clean energy to the grid annually.