Microsoft has announced the achievement of a significant sustainability goal, having reached its target to match 100% of its annual global electricity consumption with renewable energy. This accomplishment is part of a broader set of objectives set by Microsoft in 2020, which include commitments to utilise 100% renewable energy in its buildings and data centres worldwide by 2025.
Among these ambitious goals is the company’s aim to become carbon negative by 2030, meaning it will remove more carbon than it emits, and to eliminate the equivalent of its historical carbon emissions by 2050.
In 2021, Microsoft introduced its “100/100/0” vision, pledging to have 100% of its electricity consumption, 100% of the time, matched by purchases from zero carbon energy sources. Melanie Nakagawa, Microsoft’s Chief Sustainability Officer, stated that achieving this clean energy target is a crucial step towards carbon negativity. She highlighted the role of electricity as a major source of emissions for Microsoft and many other organisations, and noted that Microsoft’s efforts in building its clean energy portfolio have spurred commercial demand for infrastructure and innovation in the power sector.
Since announcing its goal in 2020, Microsoft has entered into several major clean energy agreements worldwide. Notably, it signed a multi-year framework agreement with Brookfield to develop over 10.5 GW of new renewable energy capacity in the U.S. and Europe, marking the largest-ever corporate renewable energy procurement.
The company has also become the largest corporate purchaser of carbon removal credits, recently revealing agreements to remove a record 45 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2025.
Currently, Microsoft has established one of the world’s largest clean energy portfolios, spanning 26 countries and supporting 40 GW of contracted capacity, with more than 400 contracts involving over 95 utilities and developers. Nakagawa emphasised that reaching this milestone was a collective effort, made possible by collaborations with utility professionals, clean energy developers, engineers, community leaders, and policymakers.
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