Apple Invests $848 Million Into Solar Farm

An anonymous reader writes: Apple is making a huge investment in solar energy, sending $848 million to First Solar's California Flats Solar Project. The deal will supply Apple with energy for 25 years. Construction of the new 2,900-acre solar farm will start this summer and finish by the end of 2016. Apple's share of the energy produced will be about 130 megawatts, while another 150 MW will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric. "The iPhone maker already powers all of its data centers with renewable energy. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive officer, has advocated taking more steps to combat climate change."

Comments

So which kind of solar is it?

[Ark42]

Is this the kind that incinerates all the birds that fly by, just so it can boil some water in a central tower?
Or is it an actual solar cells of some sort that directly produce electricity?
They really need some sort of better name to differentiate between these...

Advocate only?

[CaptainLard]

Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive officer, has advocated taking more steps to combat climate change."

The thing is when you're the CEO of the richest company in history (maybe?), you're in the unique position of actually being able to do something instead of suggesting other people do it (aka advocating). Way to be just like the rest of us, Tim Cook.

But for today I'll be glad Apple has spent ~0.7% or whatever of it's cash reserves on something they would have to buy anyway and thus gets counted as an investment. I'd be really impressed if they took $10B or so and spent it on some promising new nuclear or fusion project. What obligation does a corporation have to do such a thing in the free market where the shareholder is king? Well, a stable environment would be good for the economy.

Now please fill me in on all the great stuff Apple does for the environment so I can be less...less impressed!