Facebook Vows To Use 100% Renewable Energy By 2020

Facebook has vowed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75-percent with an ultimate goal of switching entirely to renewable energy by the end of 2020. The company has worked on reaching various renewable and clean energy goals over the years, having signed contracts for more than 3 gigawatts of solar and wind energy since 2013.

Over the last year, Facebook has added more than 2500 megawatts to its renewable energy contracts, saying in a statement today that it has no plans of slowing down. In 2015, Facebook had a stated goal of covering 50-percent of its facilities with renewable energy by this year; it reached 51-percent last year, exceeding its goal.

Facebook is focusing on new solar and wind projects that are on the same grid as its data centers. The idea here is that Facebook's investment helps support jobs in the communities where it operates.

As well, Facebook says its efforts help "move energy markets forward," doing so by giving other companies access to renewable energy via opening projects to them, as well as building infrastructure. Assuming everything goes according to plan, Facebook's operations around the world will be covered entirely by renewable energy within the next two years.

Facebook's goal joins similarly stated plans by other major tech companies, including Google and Microsoft. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it had entered into the US's largest corporate solar power deal as part of its own ongoing efforts.

SOURCE: Facebook