A: Hey there! What's up?

B: Oh, just reading some news. Anything interesting?

A: Yeah, you won't believe it! Microsoft is getting into solar energy big time!

B: Really? How so?

A: They're buying 100 megawatts of solar capacity from a Japanese company called Shizen Energy.

B: Wait, that's a lot of power. What are they gonna do with it all?

A: Well, to put it simply, Microsoft needs power for their data centers and these renewable energy deals help them meet that demand. They already have two in Japan!

B: Wow, that sounds like a big investment. How much are they spending on this?

A: Over the next year, Microsoft plans to invest $2.9 billion in Japan. As for this solar deal, it covers the output from four different projects for 20 years.

B: That's quite a commitment! But why solar? Why not other sources of energy?

A: Solar is popular because it's quick and cheap to build compared to other forms of power generation. Plus, it's among the cheapest new generating capacities. They can even start using the power before the whole project is complete!

B: I see. Seems like Microsoft has been buying a lot of solar lately then, right?

A: Definitely! Since the start of this year, they've contracted more than 1 gigawatt of solar capacity. That's really impressive!