, Columnist
Microsoft Wants Clean South African Energy
Sometimes it's hard to know whether the power a utility provides really comes from renewables.
South African wind power.
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The two new data centers that Microsoft Corp. plans to build in South Africa will one day provide cloud computing services to the entire African continent. The power they use, however, will be generated and consumed entirely within South Africa’s grid.
While a decade ago that would have meant buying electricity from the utility regardless of generation source, Microsoft today expects to have a variety of options. Given its commitment to renewable energy, the company may prefer to use wind and solar energy. But in South Africa, that power might not end up being entirely clean.