Apple broadens green energy scheme deployments across Europe (u)
As it works to become completely carbon neutral, Apple has announced its latest investments in clean, renewable energy, with huge projects in Europe.
What is Apple attempting to do
Apple has already announced its plans to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030.
While Apple’s operations are already powered by 100 percent renewable energy and carbon neutral, this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact.
This includes transitioning all of its European-based suppliers to renewable power. The company has announced three major steps to this:
Denmark: World’s largest onshore wind turbines
Apple says it will invest in the construction of two of the world’s largest onshore wind turbines in Denmark.
The 200-meter-tall turbines are expected to produce 62 gigawatt hours each year — enough to power almost 20,000 homes — and will act as a test site for powerful offshore wind turbines.
The turbines will provide clean, renewable energy that will bring its supply chain and products one step closer to carbon neutrality and will be situated near Esbjerg.
The power produced at Esbjerg will support Apple’s data center in Viborg, with all surplus energy going into the Danish national power grid.
What Apple says
“Combatting climate change demands urgent action and global partnership — and the Viborg data center is powerful proof that we can rise to this generational challenge,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.
“Investments in clean energy deliver breakthrough innovations that bring clean energy and good jobs to businesses and local communities. This is an area where we have to lead — for the sake of our planet and future generations.”
In Germany, supply chain goes greener
A German Apple supplier Varta committed this week to running its Apple production with 100 percent renewable power.
This reflects a trend across Europe, where Apple’s suppliers, including Henkel and tesa SE, are working toward clean energy solutions for their Apple production.
Others are too, including DSM Engineering Materials based in the Netherlands, STMicroelectronics based in Switzerland, and Solvay based in Belgium. Companies like Solvay are now expanding their use of renewable energy to their broader operations after joining Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program five years ago.
Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program
Apple launched the Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program in October 2015 to help suppliers reduce their energy use and transition to 100 percent renewable electricity.
Since launch, 72 manufacturing partners in 17 different countries have committed to 100 percent renewable energy for Apple production.
Once all of Apple’s supplier projects are completed, these commitments will avoid over 14.3 million metric tons of CO2e annually — the equivalent of taking more than 3 million cars off the road each year, the company claims.
Viborg Data Center
Apple’s data center in Viborg, a 45,000-square-meter facility offering network support and data storage to its users across the region, is now operational. The center supports Apple’s App Store, Apple Music, iMessage, Siri, and other services in Europe that are run entirely on renewable energy from local projects.
The Esbjerg wind project follows the recent completion of one of Scandinavia’s largest solar arrays, located in Thisted, Northern Jutland, the first Danish solar project built without the use of public subsidies.
The wind and solar projects both support Apple’s newly completed data center in Viborg, which is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Apple is developing both projects in partnership with European Energy.
In related news
In related news, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives told the Sydney Morning Herald that the company plans to invest in renewable energy in Australia.
“These next ten years are absolutely crucial in terms of winning this battle and being able to say to our children and grandchildren that we did everything we could to stop catastrophic climate change,” she said.
“We want to continue to meet the expectations of our customers I know we’re planning to invest in some more renewable energy in Australia in the very near future”.
Jackson is speaking at the SMH Sustainability Summit on 7 September.
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