Apple to Build Solar Panel Farm for Reno Data Center

Apple is planning to work with Nevada utility company NV Energy to build a solar panel farm next to its Reno data center, reports GigaOM. Like the company's two other solar farms located in North Carolina, the Reno solar farm will provide between 18 and 20 MW of power and will be built by solar company SunPower.

The Reno site will incorporate the SunPower Oasis C7 system, which includes a set of parabolic mirrors to reflect sunlight onto solar cell receivers, "concentrating the sun’s energy by 7 times."

renodatacenter.jpg

An Early Image of Apple's Reno Data Center

Apple's solar farm plans were approved on June 12 by the Nevada state utility commission, and under the terms, Apple has the option to expand the solar farm in the future. While the farm is under construction, Apple will use local geothermal power to run its Reno data center, continuing its commitment to clean energy.

All of Apple's data centers use 100 percent renewable energy, and we are on track to meet that goal in our new Reno data center using the latest in high-efficiency concentrating solar panels. This project will not only supply renewable energy for our data center but also provide clean energy to the local power grid, through a first-of-its-kind partnership with NV Energy. When completed, the 137 acre solar array will generate approximately 43.5 million kilowatt hours of clean energy, equivalent to taking 6,400 passenger vehicles off the road per year.

Apple first announced that all of its data centers run on 100% renewable energy back in March, with its corporate facilities running on 75% clean energy. According to Apple's environmental policy pages, the company has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by 21.5 percent since 2008 and estimated itself to be responsible for 30.9 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2012.

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage

Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...

Top Rated Comments

SilianRail Avatar
164 months ago
Looks like the Breaking Bad chicken farm.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phoenixsan Avatar
164 months ago
I am truly glad and.....

praise Apple for all the efforts to use clean energy. And for developing an enviromental conscience. Not being so cynic to talk about Greenpace....


:):apple:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acorntoy Avatar
164 months ago
I thought server farms work best in cool climates.

They work best wherever it's cheapest to run them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DonutHands Avatar
164 months ago
these data centers dont look anything like ios 7. gotta jonny ive em up.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
milbournosphere Avatar
164 months ago
It kinda looks like they bought Warehouse 13. There must be an iPod with Steve's reality distortion field in there somewhere.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleisking Avatar
164 months ago
That, or nuclear fusion. Hurry up CERN. Just don't blow up the universe in the process, lol

lol fusion is actually 100% safe. It's fission that leads to nuclear disasters like chernobyl and Japan.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)