Even Microsoft stuck in grid quagmire with local electrical coop
Dan Diehl
Shortly after Microsoft pledged to go carbon negative and eliminate all the companies carbon emissions since its founding in 1975 by 2050, it fired up its diesel generators in Fargo, North Dakota. It has an agreement with the local coop there to turn on its generators when needed to shave peak demand for the coop. It got cold in Fargo and when everyone turned up the thermostat, Microsoft put more electrons down the wire to power their furnace.
Even if they didn’t turn on their fossil fuel generators, they would still be using fossil fuels to power their campus there as the local coop utility gets most of its power from coal fired power plants. Lucas Joppa, Microsoft’s chief environmental officer is confident they will be able to switch to clean energy sources, but admits that it’s very complicated. Microsoft plans on purchasing wind or solar energy to offset their usage in Fargo, but since they don’t own the grid it won’t be easy. Mr Joppa said, “What we want is to just plug into the grid and have 100% of the electrons that enter our facilities be 100% from renewable sources, 100% of the time.”
Won’t it be great when that’s how it is for everyone? In the meantime, consider supplying your electrons from the sun and putting a little renewable energy onto the local grid with a solar system.