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Apple's Data Centers Now Running on 100% Renewable Energy, Corporate Facilities at 75%

Thursday March 21, 2013 9:47 am PDT by Eric Slivka

Bloomberg notes that Apple has posted the 2012 update of its environmental policy pages, noting that the company has now achieved 100% renewable energy usage at all of its data centers. On a worldwide basis, the company's corporate facilities are now running on 75% renewable energy, up from 35% just two years ago.

Our goal is to power every facility at Apple entirely with energy from renewable sources — solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. So we’re investing in our own onsite energy production, establishing relationships with suppliers to procure renewable energy off the grid, and reducing our energy needs even as our employee base grows.

Our investments are paying off. We’ve already achieved 100 percent renewable energy at all of our data centers, at our facilities in Austin, Elk Grove, Cork, and Munich, and at our Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino. And for all of Apple’s corporate facilities worldwide, we’re at 75 percent, and we expect that number to grow as the amount of renewable energy available to us increases. We won’t stop working until we achieve 100 percent throughout Apple.

The move to 100% renewable energy for its data centers represents the completion of a commitment the company made last May to address criticism from Greenpeace over its energy usage. While Greenpeace's ratings were based on erroneous calculations and assumptions, Apple took the opportunity to make more public statements about its energy usage and plans.

Apple estimates that its carbon footprint for 2012 included 30.9 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, with 98% of that total directly related to the life cycles of its products. The total represents a 34% increase over the company's 2011 estimates, but Apple notes that recent increases have been driven primarily by growth in its sales, with emissions per dollar of revenue decreasing by 21.5% from 2008 to 2012.

Top Rated Comments

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Intarweb

68 months ago

If true, that's astounding.

Rating: 17 Votes

RoelJuun

68 months ago

I guess Green Peace will find other things to b*tch about :rolleyes:

Rating: 14 Votes

dBeats

68 months ago

This just in, Samsung has also announced that they are green energy aware and that the are at 150% already.

The CEO of Samsung was heard saying, "We work on this for soo long. We are proud once again to make something bigger than Apple."

In response to someone asking what the time is, Samsung's CEO hit hit himself in the face with his 26" S-Watch and knocked himself out cold.

Rating: 14 Votes

gnasher729

68 months ago

The move to 100% renewable energy for its data centers represents the completion of a commitment (//www.macrumors.com/2012/05/17/apples-data-centers-to-be-powered-by-100-renewable-energy/) the company made last May to address criticism from Greenpeace (//www.macrumors.com/2012/04/17/greenpeace-takes-on-apple-and-other-tech-companies-over-coal-powered-data-centers/) over its energy usage. While Greenpeace's ratings were based on erroneous calculations and assumptions, Apple took the opportunity to make more public statements about its energy usage and plans.

Strong protest. Apple doesn't give a damn what Greenpeace thinks (and nor should anyone else). Apple doesn't care about Greenpeace. They _do_ care about the environment.

And Apple still doesn't donate any money to Greenpeace (which is how all that animosity of Greenpeace towards Apple started).

Rating: 13 Votes

mmcxiiad

68 months ago

This explains why iCloud is so reliable.

actually the cloud is blocking the solar panels

Rating: 13 Votes

Skika

68 months ago

I think this is GREAT news!

Inb4 cynics hate.

Edit: too late :(

Rating: 10 Votes