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All Apple Operations Now Run Off 100 Percent Renewable Energy (9to5mac.com)
According to a recently-shared press release, Apple has finally hit its goal of running its own operations off 100% renewable energy. "All Apple facilities, from Apple Park to its data centers to worldwide fleet of Apple retail stores, are now solely powered by green energy," reports 9to5Mac. From the report: This figure does not include Apple's third-party suppliers or manufacturers, although the company is convincing many of those to switch to 100% renewable sources too. Apple's environment VP Lisa Jackson discussed the news in an interview with Fast Company. Jackson highlights how Apple has not only focused on reducing emissions but also contributed to the availability of green energy on the grid. Apple has gone from 16% renewable energy to 100% in eight years, with CO2 emissions falling by 58%. The company has built numerous wind and solar farms in cooperation with local institutions, as well as intense focus on environmental sustainability during development of its new buildings like Apple Park. Its data centers are flanked by fields of solar panels. Filling out the last 4% required Apple to find renewable energy sources in some of its more remote retail stores and offices. It has signed power purchase agreements in Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico and Turkey.
How does that work in the middle of a windless night? You may make the same amount of green power as used by your data centers but to say that you never fall back to âoedirtyâ grid power at any time is not a claim I can believe.
The claim is impossible. There was a similar article about Google last week claiming they produce from renewables as much energy as they consume. THAT is a plausible claim. What Apple is trying to say is is an outright obvious lie easily disproven by numerous examples of "apple facilities" using whatever power grid is available - such as Apple stores operating in shopping malls.
The majority of their energy use - the manufacturing of their products - is still dirty old coal.
But that's ok, because it's being burnt in China, not USA.
As noted in the article this doesn't mean that they've cut their connection to fossil fuel power plants, only that overall they produce an equal amount of renewable energy through various contracts/facilities as they use. They still rely heavily on fossil fuels. I'll be a bit more impressed when their facilities have hefty battery packs and energy from the grid flows into the site only a few weeks out of the year.