Microsoft Signs 60 Megawatt PPA With Singapore’s Largest Solar Project

Microsoft announced this week that it has signed an agreement with Singapore’s largest clean energy provider Sunseap to acquire 100% of the electricity generated by the country’s largest solar project.

The announcement came on Wednesday that Microsoft had signed a power purchase agreement with Sunseap Group — the leading solar energy system developer, owner, and operator in Singapore — for 100% of the electricity generated from a 60 megawatt solar portfolio that will span hundreds of rooftops across Singapore. It is also Microsoft’s first clean energy deal in Asia, following in the wake of two big European deals signed last year — the first one in Ireland, and the second in the Netherlands.

Credit: Sunseap

“This deal is Microsoft’s first renewable energy deal in Asia, and is our third international clean energy announcement, following two wind deals announced in Ireland and The Netherlands in 2017,” said Christian Belady, general manager, Cloud Infrastructure Strategy and Architecture, Microsoft. “We’re on track to exceed our goal of powering 50% of our global datacenter 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.”

The agreement is particularly interesting for several reasons. Microsoft’s investment in the solar portfolio will not only supply the necessary electricity to support its local datacenter operations but will also serve to support the development of new solar projects in Singapore, and the overall greening of the country’s grid.

“Our cloud services are helping to power Singapore’s digital transformation, and today’s agreement will ensure that transformation is increasingly powered by clean energy,” said Kevin Wo, managing director, Microsoft Singapore. “We’re proud to work with Sunseap, the leading solar provider in Singapore, to support the growth of the local clean energy economy. With the agreement, Microsoft will improve the sustainability of our local operations and make important progress toward our corporate sustainability goals for datacentres.”

What is also interesting, however, is that the 60 megawatt solar portfolio was purpose-designed to support the country’s datacenter energy operations.

“Sunseap is pleased to work with Microsoft on this landmark solar project,” said Lawrence Wu, co-founder and director of Sunseap. “We see exciting potential in our partnership with Microsoft to raise awareness within the tech industry of the importance of adopting renewable energy solutions. Their investment in Singapore solar indicates a growing momentum for clean energy in the country and will further the positive ripple effect for organizations in Singapore to incorporate sustainability practices in their businesses.”