Windows 11 update will help your PC prioritise renewable energy

Sims 4's Beth working away on her tablet in eco-lifestyle.
(Image credit: EA)

An upcoming Windows 11 version, dubbed 22H2 or Sun Valley 2, will come not as a barrage of new features, but a simple string of improvements with some green-tinted embellishments. The big focus for Microsoft right now? Updating your OS with the power of renewable energy.

But how exactly is a Windows update going to make renewable energy a focus? Cleverly, the OS will perform update installations using data from Microsoft's green partners electricityMap and WattTime, getting your machine to do those little background update processes when more clean energy sources are available.

Of course, you can ignore the suggestions and update whenever you like through the Windows Update menu, but every little helps to mitigate carbon emissions.

Bleeping Computer makes it clear the Sun Valley 2 Windows 11 update doesn't come with radical design changes, but points out that the Start Menu has been given a few minor tweaks, the Taskbar has been optimised for use on tablets, and the window snapping feature has also seen some love. 

Other small refreshments for the design include media controls on the lock screen and new hardware indicator icons, but one of the main changes will be a refresh of everyone's favourite Windows bouncer, Task Manager. 

Peak Storage

SATA, NVMe M.2, and PCIe SSDs on blue background

(Image credit: Future)

Best SSD for gaming: the best solid state drives around
Best PCIe 4.0 SSD for gaming: the next gen has landed
The best NVMe SSD: this slivers of SSD goodness
Best external hard drives: expand your horizons
Best external SSDs: plug in upgrades for gaming laptops and consoles

Task manager is looking a little more inspired by Fluent UI and WinUI, with a sidebar/hamburger menu to the left. The top bar now helpfully shows the device's brand, name and model number, as well as a picture of the device (why, we don't quite know), and data regarding how much CPU and RAM is being used.

While the design changes are minor, there's something to be said about Microsoft's renewable energy move. We're starting to see more large tech companies focusing on reducing and reversing their carbon footprint. And while updates like this might seem like a tiny step, with companies like Acer planting trees, and Razer going green, there's a distinct effort arising.

Those on the Windows Insider Program can go to the Dev Channel to check out the updates right now, and start giving themselves over to Gaia.

Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.

Read more
A close-up view of the battery life indicator in Windows 11
Color-coded battery icon update for Windows 11 should've been super simple, proves to be anything but
A photo of the Windows update menu, showing that I'm all up to date
Latest Windows 11 Insider Build fixes 24H2 update's most annoying issues, including Auto HDR bugs and mouse stuttering
woman using pc
9 Windows 11 settings we recommend changing
A photo of the Windows update menu, showing that I'm all up to date
Windows 11 24H2 is the unwanted holiday gift that keeps on giving thanks to Auto HDR game crashes, audio device woes, odd bouts of stuttering and more
Retro 1990s style beige desktop PC computer and monitor screen and keyboard. 3D illustration.
Microsoft nixes details of its Windows 11 TPM 2.0 security bypass though there are still other ways of getting the latest OS on 'unsupported' hardware
Microsoft Windows 11
The latest Windows 11 dev build gives you the ability to snap together commonly paired apps for access in a single click, and I'm already sold
Latest in Windows
Microsoft Windows 11
The latest Windows 11 dev build gives you the ability to snap together commonly paired apps for access in a single click, and I'm already sold
Windows 11's new emoji button in the taskbar.
You might mock Microsoft's new emoji button in Windows 11 but as someone that's explained how to quickly access emojis and special characters too many times, I get it
Windows 10 operating system logo is displayed on a laptop screen for illustration photo. Gliwice, Poland on January 23, 2022.
Valve's monthly survey reveals that almost 45% of Steam users on PC are still using Windows 10 even with the sword of Damocles hanging over them
Microsoft Windows 11
If you installed Windows 11 with certain security updates and a USB stick, you may not get any more security updates warns Microsoft
Retro 1990s style beige desktop PC computer and monitor screen and keyboard. 3D illustration.
Microsoft nixes details of its Windows 11 TPM 2.0 security bypass though there are still other ways of getting the latest OS on 'unsupported' hardware
A photo of the Windows update menu, showing that I'm all up to date
Latest Windows 11 Insider Build fixes 24H2 update's most annoying issues, including Auto HDR bugs and mouse stuttering
Latest in News
Still image of Bastion holding a bird, taken from Microsoft's Copilot for Gaming reveal trailer
Microsoft unveils Copilot for Gaming, an AI-powered 'ultimate gaming sidekick' that will let you talk to your console so you don't have to talk to your friends
Erenshor - A player and two simulated MMO party members stand on a plateau in front of a yellow landscape
This RuneScape-looking 'simulated MMORPG' has all the nostalgia without the drama because all the other 'players' are NPCs
Pirate Bay co-founder Carl Lundstrom
Pirate Bay co-founder and far-right politician found dead after plane crash
Sunset in the desert in Hello Sunshine
Hello Sunshine is a desert survival sandbox where you live in the literal shadow of the colossus
Roblox CEO David Baszucki.
'Don't let your kids be on Roblox', Roblox CEO tells parents, before comparing himself to Walt Disney and declaring the platform 'the future of communication'
Titus in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 reveal promo image
Praise be to the Omnissiah! Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development