As Microsoft continues to open up new data centres, the company is now committing itself to making itself more green, as spotted by Neowin. As part of its commitment, it says it will achieve 50% renewable energy use by 2018.

Not only has the company promised 50% renewable energy use by 2018, it has also provided a future promise of 60% as we head into the 2020s. This brings an increase from the current use of 44% renewable energy.

Increasing the renewable energy use throughout its business is likely to assist in reducing energy costs, particularly in its Azure data centres, as well as its worldwide offices. Despite lowering costs, this move will also be good for the environment.

In a blog post on the Microsoft Green blog, which announced the commitment, Microsoft stated:

We also committed to improving our energy mix, setting a goal to grow the percent of wind, solar and hydropower energy we purchase directly and through the grid to 50 percent by 2018, 60 percent early in the next decade and to an ongoing and higher percentage in years beyond that. Already, we are at 44 percent and signed a new deal to bring 20 megawatts of new solar energy onto the grid in Virginia earlier this year.

It’s clear the company has big plans and ambitions for its green future and the footprint it leaves on the world in which we live.

Let us know how you feel about Microsoft’s new commitment in the comments!

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