Apple's Solar Farm Expected to Generate Enough Power for 60,000 Homes
Apple recently announced its plans to erect a solar farm in Monterey County, California; the state is already a haven for solar power. This new solar farm will join its three extant ones, one of which is located in Nevada, and the other two that are located in North Carolina.
The solar arrays will power the computer and software manufacturer’s extensive infrastructure in the area, including its upcoming new campus, and the remaining energy will be fed into Pacific Gas & Energy’s Grid.
Apple: Once a First Mover, Always a First Mover
Tech giants such as Google have been working on a clean power buying initiatives and making the Internet and their own operations more environmentally friendly, but Apple was the first to take matters into their own hands. Apple is already the proud owner of the largest privately held solar collection in the United States, and the new facility will add approximately 280 MW to its already extensive energy production capabilities.
Like many residential solar installations, Apple’s arrays take advantage of net metering, which allows the company to draw power from the grid when solar production dwindles, and to feed power back into the grid when excess is generated.
Apple Is Greening Up Its Act With Solar
In the past, this critical darling of tech companies found itself targeted by environmental organizations such as Greenpeace for not doing more to make its operations more environmentally friendly. But in recent years, Apple has done a whole lot to clean up its act.
The tech giant hired former EPA chief Lisa Jackson to act as VP of Environmental Initiatives, announced plans to cover 75% of its electricity use via solar, and set a goal of becoming 100% powered by renewable energy, according to CEO Tim Cook. These days, Apple is more likely to be lauded as a green leader than to be called out as a big polluter.
The Power of Influence: Apple and the Solar Power Space
The company’s moves to become more sustainable are an encouraging bellwether for the future of high-tech industry, and an encouraging sign for those in renewable power-related businesses such as solar installation.
When industry leaders decide to adopt certain practices, their imitators and competitors often follow suit. Nobody wants to be seen as an oblivious throwback, and this is especially true in the fast-paced high-tech industry.
And because Apple is also a highly fashionable and respected company, their decision to opt for renewable energy could exert an influence on their many devotees.
Who knows? Maybe your solar customers will start going solar not because the neighbors did, but because Apple did.
[Photo Credit: Apple.com]
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