Microsoft is creating a "carbon price and charge back model" that will levy fees on each of its various internal business groups for the emissions they generate. The company expects that this will result in its becoming carbon neutral by its next fiscal year.
Each Microsoft business unit will be responsible for the carbon that it generates – creating incentives for greater efficiency, increased purchases of renewable energy and better data collection and reporting.
To achieve this, Microsoft will create a new, internal price on carbon. The price will be based on market pricing for renewable energy and carbon offsets and will be applied to Microsoft's operations in over 100 countries.
Microsoft has already applied smart building technology to its Redmond campus, from which is expecting to make savings on $1.3 millon in the next fiscal year, and has jumped from nowhere to become the third biggest purchaser of green power in the U.S.
Microsoft's move is seen as indicating that its corporate customer base is starting to demand clean energy from its suppliers.
