After the construction staff of a new solar energy facility in New South Wales, Australia, finished unpacking tens of thousands of solar panels, a local nonprofit group received an unexpected offer: Would the group have any use for the empty wood pallets used to transport over 700,000 panels on their journey to southeast Australia?
In fact, they did, recycling the wood frames into handmade toys later sold to benefit local charities.
“It may sound silly, but it made a big impact,” said Michael Steiner, chief business development officer at FRV Australia, part of the Fotowatio Renewable Ventures energy company. It was, he said, an example of the importance of making time to get to know your community.
The Walla Walla solar facility is a 300-megawatt project located in east Australia. FRV Australia signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft to provide renewable energy from Walla Walla, which also supports the regional government’s economic and renewable energy goals. The Microsoft contract was “the fundamental ingredient for making such a project a reality,” said Steiner.
The Walla Walla solar farm is also part of a much larger effort across Australia to transition to renewable energy. “Replacing 14 gigawatts of coal-fired generation in the next 10 years is a humongous task,” said Steiner.
The vast facility, where sheep still graze across the landscape, covers 605 hectares and will produce enough solar energy to power more than 90,000 New South Wales homes annually. Construction generated roughly 350 local jobs before it was completed in the fall of 2025. One advantage of the site location was its proximity to the existing national electricity grid, which allowed the solar facility to deliver power using an existing transmission line easement.
The agricultural landscape, like nearly all of rural Australia, is naturally at risk of fire. FRV worked closely with the local community on strict fire prevention standards and plans. FRV also provided funding for local infrastructure improvements, including the restoration of Walla Walla Memorial Hall, which will preserve a valuable piece of local heritage and provide a versatile space for community events and activities. Additionally, these funds will be used for upgrades to local community infrastructure and playground and swimming pool facilities. Steiner said FRV will continue to engage with the local government to fund deserving community initiatives over the life of the solar facility.
“We need to create this trust and engagement from day one on every project that we do,” said Steiner. “If you don’t, you will not get anywhere, and your project probably will fail before you even start building.”
ENGIE: Repowering renewable energy assets boosts capacity and reduces environmental impact
A wind farm in southern France is generating twice as much renewable energy for the French power grid thanks to a repowering that is supported by a power purchase agreement between Microsoft and ENGIE, a multinational company based in France focused on low-carbon energy solutions.
The wind farm is located in the historical town of Fitou, known for its red wines and high winds, making it a favorite for wind and kite surfers.
The makeover of the Fitou wind farm after 22 years of wind power production involved the careful dismantling of the wind farm’s foundations, turbines and blades and replacing them with more powerful and efficient parts. The process, known as “repowering,” helps increase energy production without occupying additional land. According to ENGIE, the upgrade nearly doubled the site’s total capacity.
The project recycled and reused as many parts as possible and drew from nearly two decades of operational insights to reduce the repowered wind farm’s impact on the local environment and wildlife. For example, the updated wind farm includes sensors that automatically slow down blades when birds are detected nearby.
“We enhanced our longstanding biodiversity and noise management measures with the latest technologies and an AI tool,” said Katrin Fuhrmann, managing director for ENGIE’s B-to-B activities in Central Europe.
Besides boosting energy production, ENGIE has used novel methods for engaging the community around other wind farms in its portfolio, including crowdfunding to give local residents a chance to become co-owners of the Landes de Couesme complex, also in France.
More broadly, ENGIE and Microsoft have built a long‑term, strategic collaboration centered on renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs). These contracts allow Microsoft to secure additional renewable electricity while giving ENGIE the long‑term visibility needed to develop new wind and solar assets across Europe. Together, the two companies have already enabled the development of 26 renewable energy projects in France and seven in Germany, representing 416 megawatts of renewable capacity currently online. This approach, grounded in innovation and decarbonization, is accelerating the deployment of low‑carbon electricity that benefits both the grid and local communities.
“Electricity consumption is increasing, and renewable production is increasing exponentially,” said Furhmann. Repowering existing plants helps accelerate the production of renewable energy by allowing producers to reuse existing sites and grid connections. “And Microsoft is helping us in developing these renewable assets,” she added. “It really is a win-win situation.”
EDP Renewables North America: Providing reliable power, benefits and income
From the prairies of Texas to rolling hills in Illinois and Ohio, Microsoft has contracted with EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) to bring 675 megawatts of solar and wind energy online through power purchase agreements — or enough electricity to power more than 150,000 U.S. homes.
Across all these projects, EDPR NA has worked to deliver tangible benefits for the communities in which it operates — from upgrading access roads and investing in community projects to offering landowners accustomed to fickle weather, crop or cattle prices predictable income from lease payments for hosting wind turbines or solar panels on their properties.
For instance, the Cattlemen Solar II project in Milam County north of Austin, Texas, is expected to generate more than $41 million in revenue over the project’s lifetime to local governments to support public services and infrastructure, EDPR NA estimates. The project also is expected to deliver over $50 million in payments to landowners to diversify revenue and provide a steady source of income. In addition, EDPR NA has helped fund the construction of accessible bleachers at the local high school and the purchase of an emergency services vehicle for the county.
“Depending on the project and the location, we work really hard to find our place, the right place in each community,” said Kelly Snyder, executive vice president of origination for EDPR NA.
In the same way that lease payments for solar and wind projects help give landowners financial predictability, power purchase agreements executed by Microsoft can give renewable energy developers like EDPR NA revenue stability needed to finance new renewable projects at the lowest possible cost — making them more attractive for banks and other lenders to finance. In turn, those projects add cleaner, reliable power to the grid in key regions where Microsoft operates.
“As energy demand rises across the country, these agreements support investment in domestic energy infrastructure while delivering long-term value for customers, communities and the broader economy,” said Snyder.
Top image: A wind farm in Fitou, France. Photo courtesy of ENGIE.
Related links:
Learn more: A milestone achievement in our journey to carbon negative
Learn more: As the world goes digital, datacenters that make the cloud work look to renewable energy sources
Learn more: Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030
Learn more: Advancing sustainability
Sally Beatty writes about AI and innovation at Microsoft, focusing on the company’s most cutting-edge breakthroughs and how emerging technologies are improving the lives of ordinary people. Previously, Sally was a feature reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York, where she broke news about media and marketing. A California native, Sally lived in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, where she wrote for the Journal about the societal impact of economic and political reforms and consumer spending trends. You can contact Sally at LinkedIn.
