For the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN) to be fulfilled, governments and citizens need to collaborate, and companies need to play a fundamental role in this story. Apple, one of the biggest technology companies in the world – which is a US$ 910 billion company today -, announced that, since April, its global facilities are powered with 100% clean energy. This achievement includes retail stores, offices, data centers and co-located facilities in 43 countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, China and India.

Since 2014, all of Apple’s data centers have been powered by 100% renewable energy, and since 2011, all of Apple’s renewable energy projects have reduced greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) by 54% from its facilities worldwide. In addition, Apple’s data centers have prevented nearly 2.1 million metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere.

Currently, Apple has 25 operational renewable energy projects around the world, totaling 626 megawatts of generation capacity, with 286 megawatts of solar PV generation coming online in 2017 its highest number in one year. It also has 15 more projects in construction. Once built, over 1.4 gigawatts of clean renewable energy generation will be spread across 11 countries.

Supplier Commitments

The company has also announced that nine new manufacturing partners are now committed to operating 100% renewable energy for all Apple’s facilities, raising the total number of agreements in the area from 14 to 23. Altogether, clean energy from supplier projects helped avoid over 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases from being emitted in 2017 — the equivalent of taking more than 300,000 cars off the road.

In addition, over 85 suppliers have registered for Apple’s Clean Energy Portal, an online platform that Apple developed to help suppliers identify commercially viable renewable energy solutions in regions around the world.

“We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO

Apple and its partners are building, with utilities, new regional renewable energy projects that would not otherwise exist. These projects represent a diverse range of energy sources, including solar arrays and wind farms as well as emerging technologies like biogas fuel cells, micro-hydro generation systems and energy storage technologies.

Apple’s initiatives around the globe

USA

Today, the most ambitious project is called Apple Park, Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, California. It is now the largest LEED Platinum-certified office building in North America. It is powered by 100% renewable energy from multiple sources, including a 17-megawatt onsite rooftop solar installation and four megawatts of biogas fuel cells, and controlled by a microgrid with battery storage. It also gives clean energy back to the public grid during periods of low occupancy.

China

Over 485 megawatts of wind and solar projects have been developed across six provinces of China to address upstream manufacturing emissions.

Japan

In Japan, Apple is partnering with local solar company Daini Denryoku to install over 300 rooftop solar systems that will generate 18,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy every year — enough to power more than 3,000 Japanese homes.

Singapore

In Singapore, where land is scarce, Apple adapted and built its renewable energy on 800 rooftops, taking advantage of the sunshine of the country in Southeast Asia.

Denmark

Apple is currently constructing two new data centers in Denmark that will run on 100 percent renewable energy from day one.

Content published in April 19, 2018