Data centres vs weather: Greener solar panels for Azure in Arizona, but snow elsewhere

0
129

Mary Branscombe

By

Mary Branscombe

for 500 words into the future

| June 28, 2021 — 10:05 GMT (11:05 BST)

| Topic: Microsoft

The new Arizona Azure region doesn’t just use solar panels for energy; it uses less carbon-intensive solar panels built on the same kind of production line as flat screen TVs, using cadmium telluride – mining by-products that would otherwise end up in waste heaps.

Microsoft is offsetting energy use in its data centre with renewable energy from the 150MW Sun Streams 2 solar plant. Solar energy, even with batteries to extend availability into the evenings, aren’t yet ready to power a data centre for the full 24 hours, but it’s still a step forward.

Related Topics:

Data Centers

Enterprise Software

Windows

Windows 10

Collaboration

Cloud

Mary Branscombe

By

Mary Branscombe

for 500 words into the future

| June 28, 2021 — 10:05 GMT (11:05 BST)

| Topic: Microsoft