Microsoft recently announced its wind energy agreement with Ireland. Microsoft has got into an agreement to purchase all the energy that will be produced for the next 15 years by GE’s 37-megawatt Tullahennel wind farm in Ireland.

On one hand, with this project Microsoft has become one of the first multinational technology companies to support a new wind project in Ireland, both the companies are also looking at the project as an opportunity to mine the powerplant’s data. Each turbine will have an integrated battery that are supposed to provide insights on how to capture and store excess energy and potentially redistribute it back into the grid.

Christian Belady, General Manager, Datacenter Strategy at Microsoft said, “Microsoft is proud to be deepening our long history of investment and partnership in Ireland with this agreement. Our commitment will help bring new, clean energy to the Irish grid, and contains innovative elements that have the potential to grow the capacity, reliability and capability of the grid. This will make it easier to incorporate new clean power sources like wind energy, and that is good for the environment, for Ireland and for our company.”

Once operational, the new wind project will bring Microsoft’s total global direct procurement in renewable energy projects to almost 600 megawatts. However, sustainable and cheaper energy is of high interest to the company. This route is indeed a method to make their power-sucking data centers more affordable.