Enabling systems change (continued) Other 2021 investments include: • Just Climate , a global, climate-l ed investment business focused on scaling capital towards the most impactful climate solutions. • Buoyant Ventures , a ven ture capital fund focused on digital solutions for climate risk. • Carbon Direct Fund , a gr owth equity fund dedicated to investing in high-growth carbon removal and utilization technology leaders. • Earthshot Ventures , a cl imate technology venture capital fund, spun out of Elemental Excelerator that builds on their global network of customers, investors, corporations, and policymakers. Earthshot Ventures invests in hardware and software technologies in energy, mobility, food, industry, and carbon. • Energy Impact Partn ers Elevate Future Fund, a venture capital fund focused on creating a more diverse founder community and inclusive venture capital ecosystem within the broader energy transition. • Energy Impact Part ners Frontier Fund , a venture capital fund which invests in emerging technologies providing solutions for the deep decarbonization of asset-intensive industries. Impact from our 2020 investments include: Supporting clean energy in Asia Via the Southeast Asi a Clean Energy Facility (SEACEF), we invested in Xurya, a clean energy company committed to accelerating the rooftop solar market in Indonesia. It executed the first wa ve of projects with 16.5 megawatts peak (MWp) in operat ion and 16.6 MWp under contract for construction as of November 2021, up from 0.8 MWp installed at th e time of SEACEF’s investment. In the 12 months following SEACEF’s investment, Xurya produced 6,765 MWh resulting in 5,800 mtCO 2 avoided. 8 Carbon savings from the deployment of smart thermostats across SmartRent’s portfolio in 2020 were 55,000 MWh of energy, 5.5 million gallons of gasoline equivalent, and a net carbon savings of 68,000 mtCO 2 . 8 Saving energy with smart home automation Energy Impact Partners (EIP) Fund II participated in SmartRent ’s $60 million Series C funding round. SmartRent is a smart home automation platform which provides property managers with visibility and control over assets and delivers a smart home experience to residents in the United States and Canada. Environmental savings from the deployment of smart thermostats across its portfolio in 2020 were estimated to be 55,000 MWh of energy, 5.5 million gallons of gasoline equivalent, and carbon savings of 68,000 mtCO 2 . 8 Addressing air pollution and climate inequities In September 2021, The Proceedi ngs of the National Academy of Sciences published a study that found that Hispanic and Black people in the San Francisco Bay Area experienced up to 30 percent higher air pollution than average. Drawing from Aclima’s mobile measurements, the authors including UT Austin, UC Berkeley, and Aclima scientists found that substantial disparities arise from regional and local differences in pollution. These findings show that combining hyperlocal air pollution data with demographic data is an important way to identify disproportionate impacts that go unseen using traditional methods and can help decision-makers target emission reduction and mitigation efforts where they are needed most. 8 Learn more about CIF here 37 Aclima’s mobile measurements can help decision-makers target emission reduction and mitigation efforts.
Environmental Sustainability Report | Microsoft Page 36 Page 38