Kevin Smead - Renewables
July 17, 2014
On the heels of Apple’s purchase of a third solar farm in North Carolina, Microsoft announced its “largest wind project to date” on Tuesday.
Microsoft committed to a 20 year power purchasing agreement with EDF Renewable Energy to buy power from its new Illinois wind farm. The company signed a similar agreement last November to utilize energy from the Keechi Wind Project in Texas.
This new wind farm, called the Pilot Hill Project, reportedly will meet the power needs of up to 70,000 homes in Illinois. Microsoft will purchase 675,000 MWh of renewable energy from the project. This project, according to Microsoft, is 60 percent larger than the Keechi farm.
The Pilot Hill Project is located roughly 60 miles outside of Chicago.