Page 53 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Microsoft and ENGIE Announce Innovative
Renewable Initiatives

Microsoft Corp. and ENGIE announced both
an innovative, long-term solar and wind
energy power purchase agreement (PPA)
that provides 24/7 supply in the United
States and implementation of Darwin, an
energy software developed by ENGIE using
the intelligent cloud services of Microsoft
Azure to optimize performance of ENGIE’s
wind, solar, and hybrid (wind + solar)
renewable assets worldwide. The hybrid
renewable deal will see Microsoft purchase
a total of 230 MW from two ENGIE projects
in Texas, bringing Microsoft’s renewable
energy portfolio to more than 1,900 MW.
Microsoft will purchase the majority of the
output from the new 200 MW Las Lomas
wind project, which will be located in
Starr & Zapata Counties in south Texas.
Microsoft will also purchase 85 MW from
the 200 MW Anson Solar Center project, into a fixed 24/7 power solution aligned in the next five years, according to the
which will be built in in Jones County with Microsoft’s energy needs. In addition, International Energy Agency (IEA), these
in central Texas. Both projects will be ENGIE and Microsoft are advancing the kinds of data-driven solutions will become
operated by ENGIE and are expected to digital transformation of the renewable increasingly important. ENGIE alone has a
come on-line in January 2021. “ENGIE’s energy sector. ENGIE’s Darwin software, program to build approximately 9,000 MW
ambition is to work with our customers currently deployed on more than 15,000 of new renewable energy projects from
and communities to lead the transition to MW of assets globally, enables real-time 2019–2021 globally, with 2,500 MW of
a zero-carbon world,” said Isabelle Kocher, plant monitoring and control, reporting, new renewable capacity planned for North
CEO of ENGIE. “We are proud to support forecasting, performance monitoring America. The company has an additional
Microsoft in its plan to increasingly meet and predictive maintenance, among 10,000 MW of wind and solar projects in its
its energy needs with renewable power, many other benefits. Darwin relies on the broader development pipeline in the U.S.
and to do so in a highly customized way to latest Microsoft Azure intelligent cloud and Canada. “Procuring more renewable
meet 24/7 demand over many years.” The technologies such as IoT and artificial energy helps transform our operations, but
relationship between ENGIE and Microsoft intelligence, including machine learning when we pair that with Microsoft’s leading
will not only produce more clean energy and cognitive services. Darwin has already cloud and AI tools, we can transform
in the United States, it also creates an enabled ENGIE to increase plant availability the world,” said Carlo Purassanta, area
example for how customers can procure and to enhance production performance of vice president, Microsoft France. “This
it. This PPA includes an innovative volume up to a few percent on some of its assets. agreement with ENGIE is an exciting step
firming agreement (VFA) that will convert With renewable energy expected to be the toward a low-carbon future, driven by
the intermittent renewable energy supply largest single source of electricity growth capital investments and enabled by data.”

53 SEPTEMBER 2019