Via their environment webpages, Apple has announced that they are currently on track toward achieving an ambitious goal: to power every Apple facility entirely with energy from renewable sources — solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. The company has already reached this milestone at all of their data centers that provide online services to our customers, including in Maiden, North Carolina. They’ve also reached 100 percent at our facilities in Austin, Cork, and Munich and at their Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino.
For all of Apple’s corporate facilities worldwide, the company is at 75 percent renewable energy — which represents a 114% increase since 2010. To get to 100% worldwide, Apple is constructing new energy-efficient buildings and updating existing ones. They’re installing their own onsite renewable energy sources, including solar arrays and fuel cells. And for the balance of our energy needs, Apple is establishing as many long-term contracts with energy suppliers as they are allowed.
Just in 2012 alone:
• Apple launches the redesigned iMac, which uses 68 percent less material and generates 67 percent fewer carbon emissions than earlier generations. In addition, the aluminum stand on the iMac is made using 30 percent recycled content.
• Apple rolls out a biogas-powered fuel cell and builds rooftop solar photovoltaic systems at their headquarters in Cupertino. At the same location, energy use is cut by over 30 percent at a time when occupancy increased by more than 12 percent.
• Apple introduces its redesigned AirPort Express with an enclosure containing bio-based polymers derived from industrial-grade rapeseed and post-consumer recycled PC-ABS plastic.
• Apple achieves 100 percent renewable energy use in corporate facilities in Austin, Elk Grove, Cork, and Munich; at many sites in Australia; at the Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino; as well as at data centers in Newark, Maiden, and Prineville. Among all Apple corporate facilities worldwide, 75% of the total energy used comes from renewable sources — a 114% increase since 2010.
• At the data center in Maiden, North Carolina, Apple completes construction and begins operation of the largest end user-owned solar array and the largest non-utility fuel cell in the United States.
Learn more about Apple and renewable energy here.
Poornima Gupta reports for Reuters, “The data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which supports Internet storage and Apple’s service-hosting iCloud product, produces 167 million kilowatts — the power equivalent of 17,600 homes for one year — from a 100-acre solar farm and fuel cell installations provided by Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy.”
“They are the largest, non-utility power-generating facilities of their kind in the United States, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters,” Gupta reports. “‘We switched over to these new energy sources in December,’ he said. ‘And we are committed to generating 60 percent of the electricity that the data center will use by making power on site. We are now achieving that goal. Apple purchases the rest of the green power needed at the facility.”
Gupta reports, “The company is building another 20-megawatt solar farm at its Maiden facility with solar panels supplied by SunPower Corp.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Attribution: Fortune.]
Typo police here: fix the title.
These two words lie at the heart of rocket science, apparently. It is amazing that low-information/low-skills writers cannot master this elemental concept. Words of advice: Never, EVER tell one of these functional illiterates to turn left or right, for (clearly) differentiating between such basic–and opposite–concepts is beyond them.
It is not a typo. It is lacking understanding of grammar.
I would suggest that it’s an auto-correct issue. If you don’t proof your stuff, auto-correct will screw you up every time.
its
Throw is some Tesla Model S’s for Apple employees and you have to good clean fun.
Require every employee at the MacCafe to have a serving of beans with every meal, so to increase biogas production.
I’m pretty sure those senior Apple people can afford to buy their own Teslas.
Where is Greenpeace to PRAISE Apple about this solar farm? All the while SamScum pumps out PLASTIC JUNK that will inevitably end up in U.S. LANDFILLS!!! Who’s the innovative company again Greenpeace?
Greenpeace is POORLY managed and have an entirely uninspired attitude of only using NEGATIVE reinforcement to accomplish goals, which is on the order of how a child thinks. Positive reinforcement consistently wins as more efficient and successful, but Greenpeace never gets the clue. This is all too typical of loon-level leftists.
And no kids, I have no use for loon-level rightists either. Both extremes can go eat themselves alive.
Still won’t be good enough for the anti-Apple zealots.
So, when Apple builds those other billion dollar server farms all around the world, they do not need to worry about a stable energy supply.
So, Samsung, how many server farms supporting your Google Android sloppy copy phones have you built so far? None! I am shocked. Lets push Apple’s stock down a little more because they are using their $137 billion to increase their margin of profit year after year after year by investing now!
What if Apple put this in a TV commercial. A little PR and also talk about reducing their operating cost FOREVER! That is a little analysis PR too!
If they need a title for the outreach:
“Save the planet by buying and using Apple products and services.” All the tree huggers will love that.
That is awesome! Way to go Apple!
I really like that Apple does this kind of thing. And their goal is great. It’s nothing less than 100%.
Possessive pronouns don’t use apostrophes… Sheesh!
Did not you here…their ain’t no jernalizm no more
Bravo Apple!
Expect Samsung to announce their solar plans next week.
now THAT’S innovation. kudos Apple.
So what does our hateful, self-destructive Corporate Oligarchy think about all the GREAT news of rogue companies moving to renewable energy? Check out this quotation from Ars Technica’s article on the subject:
Of Apple’s new solar farm, Greenpeace International senior IT analyst Gary Cook stated, “Apple still has major roadblocks to meeting its 100 % clean energy commitment in North Carolina,” noting that renewable energy policies are “under siege” and the local electric utility, Duke Energy, is “intent on blocking wind and solar energy from entering the grid.”
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/03/apple-data-centers-now-on-100-percent-renewable-energy/
So a big FSCK -U to Duke Energy and all the other oil/gas/coal suck-up energy companies on the planet. It’s the future. Catch up and shut up, idiots. 😛
Notice my proper use of the contraction ‘it’s’ above. 😉
Now we know how Apple is spending their $140 billion. Let’s hope they also are secretly developing some really cool toys for us to use! 🙂
So, when will Apple break even?
When in the distant future will these energy sources be paid for?
Currently for unsubsidised solar projects, break even comes in just past the useful life of the unit.
At about 80% break even you need to replace the solar panels. The rest of the infistructure is still fine, so replacement at that of just the solar panels is reletiivly cheap.
At which point the new break even comes in between 20-40% of the useful life of the new panels.
Granted, Apple probably has much higher quality control, so they probably have top of the line equipment. And if they take advantage of subsidies then maybe they can shorten that time.
What if you imagine every company around the world making this kind of solar cells (solar, wind, hydro, or geothermal) fields ! It is no viable solution ! Companies willing to enter these louable projects should be allowed to build it on no more than the surface of buildings they occupy (not the surface of the land around). These solar cells should be allowed only if they produce 1000 or more times more power.
Imagine 10, 100, 1000 companies with every one consuming a similar amount of energy, having each solar cells fields occupying surfaces similar to Apple’s. And apply that to every individual…
Even if we like Apple and other companies going to be entirely with energy from renewable sources, it is impossible to accept such a huge destruction of the vital or not environment.
At what cost? I’m all in favor of green energy if it’s cost-efficient! Liberals who tout green energy at any cost are idiots! Solyndra anyone?