Apple is going to embrace its biggest and most ambitious renewable energy project ever. Not for a new iPhone, not for a new gadget or anything tech related but one of the biggest tech companies is investing in something much bigger. The £548 million giant solar farm is a solar energy project that is going to provide enough energy to power all of Apple's operations in California and producing enough energy for 60,000 homes. It will cover all the company's energy needs in the state, including their future head office in nearby Cupertino, 52 retail stores and their data center in Newark.
In a partnership with solar panel maker First Solar Inc., the California First Solar Project, is being constructed on 2,900 acres in Monterey County. The facility is being constructed in electricity-generating solar panels, with the capacity of 280 megawatts, Apple signed a 25-year contract for electricity from 130 megawatts of the plant's capacity. The project is expected to start in mid-2015 and finish by the end of next year.
During the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference held in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that they are doing this because it is the right thing to do and that is also good financially to do it. At Apple they know that climate change is real and the project reflects their concern about that.
"The time for talk is passed, now is the time for action."
Environmentalists have reacted positively to the new renewable project by Apple. Better than investing on a 100% renewable energy project is making good on the commitment with the incredible speed and integrity that Apple had shown in the past two years. This commitment was instrumental in making the project possible and will increase in a significant way the supply of solar power in California.
First Solar Inc. was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2010. Based in Tempe, Arizona, it manufactures photovoltaic modules designed for large scale, grid connected and off grid solar power plants. The company is a specialist in photovoltaic solar energy solutions.
