Apple's new data center in Maiden, N.C., will be one of the most energy efficient facilities of its kind, the company's 2012 environmental update reveals.
To satisfy the huger power needs of the facility in an environmentally acceptable way, Apple is building the largest end user–owned, onsite solar array in the U.S. The 100-acre, 20-megawatt facility will supply 42 million kWh of clean, renewable energy every year.
Apple is also building a 5-megawatt fuel cell installation, due to go online later in 2012, which Apple claims will be the "largest non-utility fuel cell installation operating anywhere in the country."
The list of features of the Maiden data center doesn't end there. It includes an innovative chilled water storage and air cooling system, a white roof that provides maximum solar reflectivity, high-efficiency LED lighting, and power distribution at higher voltages that increases efficiency.
All of this has earned the facility LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest possible LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating.
Apple also claims it has significantly reduced the environmental impact of home-to-work travel over the years by implementing commuter transit programs. Water usage per employee was also significantly reduced over the past couple of years, as was the amount of solid waste per employee.