Apple is making a big leap towards solar energy after being ranked ‘the least environmentally sound’ of the big technology companies earlier this year. The company is planning to build a large solar energy farm next to its $US1 billion data centre in North Carolina, with 174 acres of land currently being cleared around the site.
It is thought that this move is one of the ways the company hopes to restore its reputation after getting some bad publicity for the huge amount of ‘dirty energy’ many of its facilities use. A recent Greenpeace report found that Apple’s cloud-computing operations rely on environmentally-damaging fuel such as coal. North Carolina’s cheap electricity, fueled mostly by coal, has attracted other companies like Google and Facebook who have also set up large data centres there.
Apple has not yet officially announced their plans, but county permits and engineering plans unearthed by a local newspaper in the area say otherwise. Neighbours are also complaining about the smoke from the fires being used to clear the area in preparation.
The company already has some solar energy facilities around the world, with their centres in Austin, Texas; Sacramento, California; and Cork, Ireland all run completely by renewable energy. Their website section titled ‘Environment’ further states that they strive to “install state-of-the-art digital controls, high-efficiency mechanical equipment, and monitoring technology” in their buildings.
Yet with Greenpeace reporting that 3% of all power in the US is consumed by data centres, there is obviously still a long way to go in the bid for solar energy.
