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Apple Commits To 100% Renewable Energy Sources for NC Data Center
judgecorp writes "Stung by continued criticism from Greenpeace and protests at Apple's headquarters over its use of electricity from non-renewable sources, Apple has promised that its data center in Maiden, North Carolina will use 100 percent renewable electricity, 60 percent of it generated by Apple itself. The update is possible because it is building a second giant solar array, and because its data center only needs 20MW at full capacity, instead of the 100MW which Greenpeace had estimated."
is the solar array built using renewable energy?
Korma: Good
I'm SHOCKED!
...couldn't keep the environmentalists out.
(I'm so sorry.)
Bloom Energy's fuel cells run on methane (natural gas) drilled and/or hydrofractured out of the ground, and they react this methane with atmospheric oxygen to yield carbon dioxide which they vent to the atmosphere. The system's thermodynamic efficiency is scarcely higher than a conventional Brayton-cycle gas turbine. As with the rest of the natural gas industry, they've been quite successful in greenwashing their fossil fuel industry. So, how is it exactly that this is "renewable energy"? Anyway, I wouldn't pay attention to any circus of Greenpeace activists outside Apple headquarters. They are science and engineering illiterate neo-luddites. "just days after Greenpeace protested at Apple headquarters over the firm’s use of coal and nuclear-powered electricity at the site." Apple's NC data centre is powered, at least in part, by nuclear energy? That's great news. Now you're really talking about sustainable, scalable, high-capacity-factor, fossil-fuel-replacing, environmentally friendly energy supply.
If you protest you get your way, even when it doesn't make fiscal sense.
Fiscal sense is not the only type of sense worth pursuing.
I live in Raleigh, NC, and for those who have a jaundiced perspective of the south I would like to say that this region is booming in terms of technology-centric business. We have research triangle park with many large corps, labs, data-centers, and rising businesses. We get many migrants from silicon valley who come this way for the better tax benefits and all that jazz. It's a beautiful state. Moving here from Illinois has been great for me and my family.
:)
Anecdotal, of course, but if you're looking for a city to move to in the south, The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area has its benefits.
We also get many business from the DC beltline area and the Virginia tech-sector as well, so there's a lot of growth here in that regard. With the ocean on our east coast and Appalachia on the west, it's a pretty sweet state. Of course there are your stereotypical types, your poor areas, your up-close-and-personal political issues, corruption, et al, but compared to some of our neighboring states down here NC has a very modern feel (SC I'm looking at you!). "North Carina is best Carina!" as some like to say
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
1. Build Giant Hamster wheel, connect to power grid. ...
2. Tell Foxconn employess you have a better job for them.
3.
4. Profit!!!
5. Fight Lawsuits.
Be seeing you...
WTH? Apple's first response to Greenpeace was something along the lines of "Bullshit. They don't know jack." Reading the article, it looks like Apple caved into Greenpeace's demands. If the reporter had followed Apple's proposal from the beginning, Apple had always proposed a solar array for the site. They also were planning to use landfill gas as another means of energy. Apple never disclosed how much energy the site would be required and how much would be fueled by green power but Apple estimated the center would use 20MW. Greenpeace in their vast inner knowledge of technology estimated Apple would use 100MW. Greenpeace based their estimate solely on how much Apple paid for the total cost of construction. Greenpeace never factored in that part of the construction cost was the solar array (which are expensive) and other non-server related costs. Instead of acknowledging that calculating power based on total construction cost instead of server costs was a miscalculation, Greenpeace acted as if they did something to change Apple's minds. All they did was make fools of themselves. Apple like other tech companies are interested in green power like solar and power efficiency. Part of it is being a good corporate citizen, and part of it is that it saves them money.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Greenpeace did not estimate anything. They pulled a number out of their asses.
Now of course they'll try to take credit for Apple's "change of heart". Even though the Apple announcement clarifies that the reason they're going from 50% to 100% is that they have now, after presumably months of work on it, been able to acquire an additional 100 acres (40 hectares) of land for a second solar array.
'Fiscal sense' got us in the shit in the first place.
Korma: Good
I disagree, without "fiscal sense" Apple wouldn't exist to go green in the first place.
Since Apple announced "their planned solar array" just "days after Greenpeace's protest" it is clear Greenpeace didn't push them into doing anything (except maybe making their press release earlier). You don't spec, design, budget and plan a multi-megawatt facility in a few days.
I'm as green/liberal as any other guy (supported Gore, yada yada) but this Apple bashing just because they're Apple is stupid. Why don't people make a fuss about Google or Facebook? Likewise I like my non-Apple electronics (my hi-def TV says "SAMSUNG") but don't people get the fact that EVERYBODY makes their electronics in Chinese sweatshops and that the working conditions at Apple suppliers are probably the best? That's why there are thousands of "apple-icants" whenever there's openings at Foxconn's plants making Apple products. Nobody ever focuses on the fact that ALL the other global electronics makers are building their stuff at places where the conditions are most likely considerably worse (not to mention the second and third tier companies).
This, after the US has slapped a 31 percent import tariff on photovoltaic cells from China, which happened just the other day.
The protests from the PRC came in yesterday.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303360504577411693605403040.html
My take on it is that China has been dumping and this protesting is pro-forma but it sucks if you're an end-user of pv cells.
--
BMO
If they wanted to save electrical power, they picked a bad location. In North Carolina, their air conditioning costs will be very high. They'd save a lot on power by builing in Colorado, Utah, Nevada or Wyoming where the air is cooler and dryer and for large parts of the year you can just open the windows for cooling.
You mean "screw your neighbours and the future generation, I waaaaaant profit now, mum!!! WAAAAH!". Thankfully, most people exceed that maturity level by age of 6 or so.
Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
leave off the first phrase of the summary and it's accuracy and quality increase dramatically.
Like anyone can even know that
No, that isn't what i said. If you are capable, re-read my post and you will see i said something far different.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
If you protest you get your way, even when it doesn't make fiscal sense.
You assume it doesn't make fiscal sense, BUT: Who says it doesn't make fiscal sense what they are doing?
Surely there are some tax incentives and other benefits for Apple to make this choice.
Electricity has been getting more expensive, and generating your own helps make costs more predictable, and less influenced by outside elements, especially if you anticipate the market price will be increasing in the future, AND there is a concern of possible "carbon taxes" being implemented in the future.
Apple has a surplus of cash, it's not as if they can't fiscally afford the 100% renewable thing, especially if it helps them maintain the corporate image they want to maintain, and reduces some risks; AND creates another argument Why users should utilize iCloud: It's GREENER than using your own spinning rust, because your files will be stored on a system that utilizes 100% Green energy. Win win win for Apple.
Apple isn't what it is because of accountants and MBAs. Apple is where it is because it brought the liberal arts in to product design. And unlike most companies didn't allow accountants and MBAs to penny pinch.
Having a datacentre powered with renewables fits perfectly with Apple's business model.
you hate Apple because someone with a nicer haircut than you likes their iPhone. That doesn't make you a rebel, it makes you a douchebag.
Go hug that tree and leave us adults be.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
You're getting stupider by the minute.
...they could lobby Apple to stop making devices that are nearly impossible to repair.
I repair Apple devices every day, and so do hundreds of Apple service technicians and outside repair vendors. Your incompetence isn't their fault.
Unless you think that getting Apple to move to 100% renewable power is making things worse, it's hard to see how you arrived at the above conclusion from this article. It seems to me that this was a win all around.
You think it's win/win.
Yet everything is as it was. Apple as noted was already going the solar path. So Greenpeace wasted YOUR money in an effort to get Apple doing something that was happening already.
Furthermore my people like you declaring "win" it takes all the heat off every other company to do anything. After all, you had a "victory", you can all rest now.
Instead your money could have gone to Greenpeace looking at a company like Dell or Sony and pushing them into more renewable energy use. But that's not as sexy.
So it was not a win at all, it was nothing. The world is no better because of Greenpeace and in fact worse because of the opportunity cost.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
*yawn*
How about you get out of the way before the industrialists roll over you. "Green" is not the future, no more than it was the past.
Going down this path will end Apple. Which is too bad, as i have always liked apple products and own many ( all the way back to the ][ ).
---- Booth was a patriot ----