Apple facilities now use 100 percent clean energy
Apple is patting itself on the back for hitting its goal of 100 percent clean energy. All of the tech company's facilities around the world are powered by renewable energy, Apple announced Monday. That's stores, offices, and data centers powered from solar, wind, hydrogen, and other clean energy sources.
While impressive that facilities in 43 countries are powered with clean energy, its many suppliers are still working at it. Apple has convinced nine more suppliers "to power all of their Apple production with 100 percent clean energy, bringing the total number of supplier commitments to 23." Pegatron with iPhone factories in Shanghai and Kunshan, China, and Finisar, the U.S. company that builds parts to power Face ID and Animoji are among the nine pledge makers.
Reaching 100 percent renewables has been a years-long mission. Back in 2015, Apple was close at 93 percent. Major energy projects have pushed the company toward clean operations. Twenty-five projects, including wind, solar, and biogas projects generate 626 megawatts of clean energy. More projects are in the works in 11 countries, bringing in 1.4 gigawatts of clean energy, Apple said.
In China, wind and solar projects bring in 485 megawatts of energy across six provinces. At Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, a 17-megawatt solar panel installation on the roof and biogas fuel cells bring in clean energy.
Apple said since 2011 all of its energy projects cut back greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent. That was a reduction of 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
All this clean energy sounds very "green," but it doesn't change Apple's stance on replacing and repairing its electronic products. Apple continues to promote (frequent) new purchases of iPhones, MacBooks, and other energy- and resource-depleting items. As a business that makes sense, but as an environmentally conscious company it's destructive.
That 100 percent clean energy milestone gets a bit sullied with Apple's repair policies in mind.
Topics Apple Sustainability
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
