Recently, in the study “Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific”, IDC had forecasted that approximately 60 percent of Singapore’s GDP will be derived from digital products or services by 2021.
While the digital revolution has immense potential to transform the way we address resources challenges, as the cloud puts data-driven insights at our fingertips, we need to acknowledge that tremendous amounts of energy will be required to power this transformation.
There is no room for complacency. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey, environmental risks have grown in prominence in recent years.
Already, the datacentres we and others have built and operate consume more electrical power than a small state and there may come a day in the future where leading cloud companies together use more electricity than a mid-sized nation.
The good news is that, given economies of scale and dedicated focus, public cloud datacentres operated by companies like Microsoft are more energy-efficient than the private server facilities run by individual companies and governments.
Today, I am proud to announce a significant milestone for Microsoft – a new partnership with Sunseap Group that marks the first renewable energy agreement in Asia Pacific. It also builds on the momentum of our first-ever international deals announced in Europe last year, as well as several years of investment in Singapore and throughout the Asia Pacific.
Through a 20-year agreement, Microsoft will purchase 100 percent of the renewable energy attributes exported to the grid from Sunseap’s project. The 60-megawatt solar portfolio, enough to power over 90,000 Singaporean homes for an hour, will span hundreds of rooftops across the island nation. This will be the single largest solar energy portfolio in Singapore to date, and is also a significant achievement for the growth of the country’s clean energy industry that we enthusiastically support.
The new deal with Sunseap and the Government of Singapore will help Microsoft address the energy footprint of our local datacentre operations as the Microsoft cloud grows to meet the regional demands of our customers. As we grow our cloud presence and investments in the region, we are committed to ensuring growth is powered responsibly. We do this both by advancing our own corporate renewable energy goals and by helping to bring more clean power online in regions where we operate.
At Microsoft, we are already using renewable energy to power about half of our datacentres’ electricity needs around the world. And we have set targets to ensure that we continue to purchase more clean energy in the future. Buying more clean energy, especially near our datacentres, helps us operate more sustainably and makes business sense.
Using more renewable energy to power our operations is what we must do. But we can do much more. Our goal is to go beyond our operations, and craft solutions that help green the grid and accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon energy future for all.
We look forward to announcing additional clean energy projects in Asia Pacific the coming months, as Microsoft continues to fulfill our pledge to purchase more clean power in the regions where we operate datacentres around the world.
- “Sunseap is pleased to work with Microsoft on this landmark solar project. We see exciting potential in our partnership with Microsoft to raise awareness within the tech industry of the importance of adopting renewable energy solutions.”
Lawrence Wu, Co-Founder and President, Sunseap - “This landmark agreement marks yet another milestone in Singapore’s journey to grow the clean energy industry… EDB welcomes this latest agreement between Microsoft and Sunseap, which will help proliferate adoption of clean energy, and spur further innovation in new business models and technologies.”
Gian Yi-Hsen, Executive Director, Cleantech, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) - “Microsoft also serves as a role model more broadly for leading corporate buyers pursuing clean energy strategies in Asia, and their support on this project inspires our work in Singapore and our operations throughout Asia…”
Dominic Garetto, Vice President of Corporate Origination and Development, Sunseap - “We’re on track to exceed our goal of powering 50 percent of our global datacentre load with renewable energy this year. Once operational, the new solar project will bring Microsoft’s total global direct procurement in renewable energy projects to 860 megawatts.”
Christian Belady, General Manager, Cloud Infrastructure Strategy and Architecture, Microsoft