Apple announced that it is now 100 percent running on renewable energy. Last year, it reduced its carbon emission by almost 585,000 metric tons.
This is a major push toward the company's environment responsibility that is to reduce impact on climate change by using renewable energy resources, conserve valuable resources, and pioneer the use of safer materials for its productions and production process.
Grand Push For Clean Energy
In 2016, Apple reached 96 percent renewable, and now, the company's operation in its 24 data centers nationwide, is now fully renewable.
Even its new corporate campus located inside Apple Park in Cupertino, California, is set to be the largest LEED Platinum-certified building in North America. The campus features large open spaces and planted with over 9,000 drought-tolerant oak and fruit trees.
"If you look at our trajectory, for the last couple of years we've been close to 100%. It's just four percent more, but it's four percent done the right way. Like our products, we sweat the details, we have pretty strict standards, and we prefer to wait and meet our standards than to rush and make a claim," says Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP for Environment.
"We're committed to leaving the world better than we found it. After years of hard work we're proud to have reached this significant milestone," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in statement.
How Did Apple Do It?
The company harnesses the power of reusable energy to power its production and operation chain. It produces its own energy through developing solar, fuel cell, water, and wind projects.
Currently, it has 25 renewable energy projects worldwide that generates a total of 626 megawatts. Fifteen new projects are underway.
In 2015, it partnered with First Solar, one of the largest photovoltaic manufacturers and provider of utility-scale photovoltaic plants. First Solar will supply Apple with 130 megawatts of energy for 25 years.
It has massive investments in renewable energy and has power purchasing agreement contracts with renewable power companies. It has issued a $1.5 billion green bond to finance environmental projects, including renewable energy initiatives at its facilities around the world.
More To Come
Last year, NV Energy and Apple agreed to produce 200 megawatts of additional solar energy in Nevada by early 2019. This project will support energy needs for Apple's Reno data center where servers for Siri, iCloud, Apple Music, and Apple Pay are located. The Nevada data center is currently powered by the Fort Churchill energy project.
It also partnered with energy company Sunseap to source 100 percent clean energy by producing 32 megawatts of solar energy from solar roof panels on more than 800 roof tops in Singapore.
Whatever excess energy that the company doesn't use goes to the power grid, so others may use it. Apple connected 40 megawatts of new solar energy to China's national grid. The energy produced by Apple's solar farm is more than enough to power all its corporate offices, retail stores, and data centers in China.
Apple's 23 suppliers, including nine new suppliers has also committed to operate on a 100 percent renewable energy.
Once all of Apple's energy projects are built, over 1.4 gigawatts of clean renewable energy generation will be spread across 11 countries.
