Microsoft recently conducted a study to find out just how enviromentally friendly cloud computing is. The study found that it tends to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 30 percent or more. Not bad, cloud computing.

Large data centers, like those run by tech giants Microsoft and Google, benefit from economies of scale and operational efficiencies, according to the study. Small businesses, of about 100 users, moving business applications away from on-site servers into the cloud can see net energy and carbon savings of more than 90 percent, the researchers wrote. For mid-sized organizations, of about 1,000 users, the savings were between 60 to 90 percent, according to the Microsoft study.

“The cloud has the ability to deliver business value for customers in an age where corporate responsibility is critical to business success,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist at Microsoft.

“The benefits of cloud computing are clear: Increased productivity, reduced costs and lower management overhead of products have become key considerations for organizations evaluating Microsoft’s cloud services,” said Bernard.