Microsoft and the Earth

If you, like many teenagers, live with your parents, you’ve probably heard them say, “Clean up your room” or “Help clean up the house.” They say this because either they have guests coming over or they just don’t want to live in the mess.

The earth’s ecosystem is fragile and right now it is very messy. Messy because of climate change, because of global warming and pollution, messy because of habitat loss and extinction of species and messy because the lack of significant efforts to help clean up the earth, until now.

To combat the overwhelming effects of fossil fuels like gasoline, coal, and aviation fuel, Microsoft is relying on renewable energy to power it’s major buildings.

Cision.com said, “Microsoft Corp. has announced the completion of its first renewable energy deal within the Karnataka state of India. The agreement will see Microsoft purchase 3 megawatts of solar-powered electricity from Atria Power to help power its new office building in Bangalore.”

The move toward solar energy did not start with Microsoft even though Microsoft is contributing to the rapid growth of solar energy. The move toward solar energy began all the way in 1876. Victoria C. of experience.com said, “William Grylls Adams along with a student of his, Richard Day, discovered that when selenium was exposed to light, it produced electricity.”

Since then, renewable energy sources have progressed rapidly with the help of technology and economic support from major companies. Victoria C. continued, “In the early 1970’s a way to lower to cost of solar cells was discovered. This brought the price down from $100 per watt to around $20 per watt. This research was spearheaded by Exxon.”

Along with relying on renewable sources for its energy Microsoft also hopes to influence other companies to do the same with its major offices and buildings.

“Microsoft says its ultimate goal is to rely on wind, solar, and hydropower electricity for at least 50 percent of its global energy needs by the end of 2018,” said Dan Thorp-Lancaster of Microsoft Central.

The use of renewable energy sources is proven to better the environment however there are downsides to avoiding fossil fuels. Greenliving.com said, “[T]he manufacturing process by which the components of these renewable energy systems are created is entirely reliant on fossil fuel inputs.” The solar panel configuration is completely ironic to its goal but is a short term problem for solar panel outputs. Greenwire continued, “This stands as an even more poignant example of the necessity of renewable energy development. Society can benefit not only from shifting electricity generation off of a finite resource, but it can also benefit from shifting its manufacturing system away from them.”

Microsoft’s efforts to explore renewable energy is a reminder for everyone to do their part in helping the earth.

Information from this story came from:

PR Newswire: Microsoft announces first renewable energy deal in India

Experience: The History Of Solar Power

Windows Central: Microsoft inks its first renewable energy deal in India

Greenliving: Why Is Renewable Energy Needed?