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EDP Renewables Signs Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Microsoft for Solar Projects

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EDP Renewables North America announced on Monday that it has successfully delivered three large-scale solar projects and entered into a long-term virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Microsoft (MSFT.O). The agreement highlights the growing trend among tech giants to secure cleaner energy sources to power their operations, especially data centers, as they continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence.

The three solar projects, located in Illinois and Texas, will collectively generate around 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Under the terms of the VPPA, Microsoft will purchase approximately 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits, contributing to the tech company’s sustainability goals.

The Illinois-based projects include a 140 MW solar installation in Jacksonville and a 110 MW solar park near Jerseyville, both of which began operations in November. Additionally, a 150 MW solar facility near Austin, Texas, came online in December 2024.

This agreement brings the total number of solar projects EDP Renewables has developed for Microsoft in the U.S. to five, further strengthening the partnership between the two companies in their pursuit of clean energy solutions.

Trina Solar Sets World Record for Solar Technology Efficiency

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Trina Solar (688599.SS) has achieved a new world record for the conversion efficiency of a specific type of solar module, the company announced on Monday. In laboratory tests, Trina’s large surface area n-type fully passivated heterojunction (HJT) modules demonstrated an impressive efficiency of 25.44%. These results were certified by the Fraunhofer CalLab, a leading solar research body in Germany.

HJT technology involves passivating the surface defects of solar cells to enhance performance, and the new efficiency benchmark highlights its potential for solar energy. Cell efficiency is crucial because higher conversion rates reduce the size of solar installations and lower costs.

Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales, whose lab previously held the solar cell efficiency record for decades, praised the achievement, noting that HJT represents one of the leading technologies vying for dominance in the solar industry. While HJT technology is currently more costly than other methods, Green predicts that costs will decrease as the industry adopts the new technology.

Trina’s chairman and CEO, Gao Jifan, expressed the company’s commitment to advancing research and development in passivated solar technology to maintain its leadership in the field. While HJT currently represents a small portion of the market, it is projected to increase from 7% in 2024 to 9% in 2026. Meanwhile, TopCON cells are expected to dominate the market in the coming years.

The achievement not only sets a new record for HJT technology but also represents a milestone in the efficiency of single-crystalline silicon solar cell modules.

 

Data Center Companies Investing in Brazil’s Booming Market

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Brazil is rapidly becoming a critical hub for data center investments, with billions of dollars expected to be injected into the sector in the coming years. This surge is largely driven by the booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and the growth constraints faced by larger markets in the U.S. and Europe. Several key companies are capitalizing on Brazil’s potential for data center expansion:

Ascenty
Ascenty, one of the largest data center operators in Latin America, is actively seeking a minority partner to support its expansion, particularly in Brazil. Currently, Ascenty operates 34 data centers across the region, with many more under construction. The company is jointly controlled by Brookfield Asset Management and U.S.-based Digital Realty.

Grupo FS
Grupo FS, a Brazilian cybersecurity firm, is making a significant move into the data center market with plans to invest $1.8 billion (approximately $300 million) to build three data centers in Brazil. Owner Alberto Leite cites Brazil’s political stability, abundant renewable energy resources, and growing local demand as key drivers behind this investment.

Equinix
Global digital infrastructure giant Equinix is expanding its footprint in Brazil, with new projects planned in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo Carvalho, Equinix’s managing director for Latin America, emphasized that the Brazilian market is critical for the company’s long-term strategy.

ODATA
ODATA, now owned by Aligned Data Centers, is experiencing steady growth due to increasing demand in Brazil. The company is particularly focusing on investments in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. ODATA also has operations in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S. following its acquisition by Aligned.

Tecto
Tecto, the data center unit of V.tal (controlled by BTG, a Brazilian investment bank), recently acquired new land in São Paulo for the development of a 200MW hyperscale data center powered entirely by renewable energy. Tecto has committed an initial $1 billion for new projects and is expanding its presence across Brazil and Colombia.

Elea
Elea Data Centers operates across all major Brazilian cities, including the Rio-São Paulo axis, and is focused on sustainability, running its data centers entirely on renewable energy. The company has expanded its footprint to include the Southeast, South, and Central West regions of Brazil.

These investments highlight Brazil’s growing importance as a data center hub, driven by favorable energy conditions, political stability, and a booming demand for cloud services, AI, and data storage.