14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has released its 2012 Environmental Update and Facilities Report which discloses Apple’s achievements in energy saving and the efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
The California giant says it achieved 5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in energy savings in 2011 through the energy efficiency and conservation activities at several facilities scattered around Cupertino - Apple’s home town.
“We will continue to expand this program,” Apple says.
The company plans to include performing campus-wide energy audits and retro-commissioning projects, installing induction-based lighting fixtures with bilevel controls in parking areas, optimizing intelligent control systems, and reducing the demand for additional cooling by retrofitting buildings with special reflective window and roof coatings.
The company even plans to use energy-efficient Apple computers in its facilities, “which all far exceed the strict requirements of the ENERGY STAR rating system (used in Cupertino and in all of our worldwide facilities),” says Apple.
“We secured regulatory authority to supplement our energy needs in Cupertino and the Santa Clara Valley with offsite, grid-purchased renewable energy, which was not previously possible,” reads the report. “This paves the way to achieve our goal of powering these facilities with 100 percent renewable energy.”
A large chunk of Apple’s environmental update for 2012 includes details about the company’s new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which Apple believes “[it] demonstrates our commitment to reduce the environmental impact of our facilities through energy- efficient, green building design.”
The facility has earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council after being touted as “exceptionally energy efficient.”
“We know of no other data center of comparable size that has achieved this level of LEED certification,” Apple says.
They’re not stopping here. Apple wants to meet all the energy needs of the Maiden facility with a high-percentage renewable energy mix. To do so, “we have embarked on an industry-leading renewable energy program,” Apple says.
First and foremost, “Apple is building the nation’s largest end user–owned, onsite solar array on the land surrounding the data center. When completed, this 100-acre, 20-megawatt facility will supply 42 million kWh of clean, renewable energy annually,” says the Mac maker.
Second, the company plans to erect a fuel cell installation. It will be the largest non-utility fuel cell installation operating anywhere in the US, and it’s scheduled to go online later this year.
“This 5-megawatt facility, located directly adjacent to the data center, will be powered by 100 percent biogas, and provide more than 40 million kWh of 24x7 baseload renewable energy annually,” Apple’s report says.
“Apple is committed to pursuing energy-efficient growth by increasing our renewable energy participation to match the growing needs of our data center—through our own projects as well as partnerships with utilities and renewable energy providers,” the company concludes.