...from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-21/apple-says-data-centers-now-use-100...

Apple Says Data Centers Now Use 100% Renewable Energy By Peter Burrows - Mar 21, 2013 3:41 PM CT Print

Apple Inc. via Bloomberg In its environmental update, Apple said a 100-acre solar farm next to its largest data center, in Maiden, North Carolina, became fully operational in December. Apple Inc. (AAPL) now uses only renewable energy sources to power its data centers, the iPhone maker said in an updated report on its environmental policies. 5:16 March 22 (Bloomberg) -- Kirk Yang, head of Asia ex-Japan technology research at Barclays Plc, talks about the outlook for the region's mobile-technology industry. He speaks with Rishaad Salamat in Hong Kong on Bloomberg Television's "On the Move." (Source: Bloomberg) The company’s data centers now run on energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, instead of coal or other fossil fuels, Apple said on its website. The centers house server computers that store and distribute songs, applications and other content from services such as iTunes, iMessage and iCloud. A year ago, Apple was targeted by Greenpeace International, which ranked Apple 12th out of 14 large technology companies in a report called “How Clean Is Your Cloud?” The environmental group, which held protests at Apple’s offices in Cupertino, California, charged Apple with relying on electricity from coal plants and gave Apple a grade of no better than D in the four categories it tracked. “Increasing our use of renewable energy is our primary objective,” Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s chief financial officer, said in an interview. “We think these efforts will result in learnings that other companies and communities can benefit from as well.” Apple’s announcement shows “real progress,” Greenpeace said, urging the company disclose more detail on how it’s working with utilities and state governments to achieve its energy goals. “Apple’s increased level of disclosure about its energy sources helps customers know that their iCloud will be powered by clean energy sources, not coal,” Gary Cook, an analyst at Greenpeace, wrote in an e-mailed statement. Solar Farm Oppenheimer said a 100-acre (40-hectare) solar farm next to its largest data center, in Maiden, North Carolina, became fully operational in December. With the solar array and a large installation of fuel cells made by Bloom Energy Corp, which convert biogases into energy, Apple said it met a goal of generating 60 percent of the energy for the data center on-site. “The power we are using in North Carolina is 100 percent renewable and zero percent coal,” Oppenheimer said. Oppenheimer said Apple would double its solar capacity in Maiden after the construction of another nearby 100-acre solar farm by the of this year. Apple also said a data center that is under construction in Prineville, Oregon, will also run on local renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar and geothermal power. Apple now gets 75 percent of its total power from renewable sources, up from 35 percent a year ago. The company’s four largest office campuses, in Ireland, Germany and two in California, now use 100 percent renewable energy sources, according to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer declined to disclose how much Apple spent on the equipment to generate its own power. He said Apple will keep investing in green technologies and isn’t focused on earning a financial return on the investments. To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Burrows in San Francisco atpburrows@bloomberg.net