HP is the latest cloud player to boost its green credentials

HP signed a 12-year power purchasing agreement with SunEdison this week that will see it power its cloud datacentres with renewable energy.

The deal will see SunEdison begin construction on a massive wind farm in Texas, which when completed will generate 300 MW of power. The wind farm will be acquired by TerraForm, a global owner and operator of renewable energy plants, in 2016 once it becomes operational.

HP said the 12 MW of wind electricity it agreed to purchase annually is enough to power all of its Texas-based datacentre operations, and will enable the company to reach its 2020 operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal by the end of this year, five years ahead of schedule.

“This agreement represents the latest step we are taking on HP’s journey to reduce our carbon footprint across our entire value chain, while creating a stronger, more resilient company and a sustainable world,” said Gabi Zedlmayer, vice president and chief progress officer, Corporate Affairs, HP.

“It’s an important milestone in driving HP Living Progress as we work to create a better future for everyone through our actions and innovations,” Zedlmayer said.

Paul Gaynor, executive vice president, Americas and EMEA, SunEdison said: “By powering their data centers with renewable energy, HP is taking an important step toward a clean energy future while lowering their operating costs. At the same time, HP’s commitment allows us to build this project which creates valuable local jobs and ensures Texan electricity customers get cost-effective energy.”

HP is the latest cloud player to bolster its green credentials. Amazon recently announced two clean energy projects in the US within a month of one another, one in Virginia and the other in North Carolina.