Apple adds 650 megawatts of renewables in Europe with more coming in China | TechCrunch
Key Takeaways
- Apple signed contracts for 650 megawatts of new renewable power (wind and solar) in Europe.
- The company is investing $150 million in China to help its suppliers transition to renewable energy.
- The European renewable power purchases are intended partly to offset energy use by Apple customers.
- The announcements were published on Apple's regional websites but not on its main U.S. press site.
- Solar and wind energy are increasingly popular for tech companies due to low cost and speed of deployment.
Apple recently revealed contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable power in Europe, encompassing both operational and upcoming wind and solar projects across countries like Greece, Latvia, Spain, Poland, Romania, and Italy. A significant portion of this power is intended to offset the energy consumption of Apple customers, which contributes to nearly a third of the company's carbon footprint via device usage. Furthermore, Apple is dedicating $150 million in China to facilitate its suppliers' transition to renewable energy sources, building on the fact that over 90% of its manufacturing in that region is already green. Interestingly, these European renewable power announcements appeared on regional Apple websites but were omitted from the U.S. press feed, possibly to avoid political friction. The article notes that solar and wind are favored across the tech sector, including by Microsoft and Meta, due to their cost-competitiveness against fossil fuels and the rapid deployment time for solar farms, which is crucial for tech companies powering data centers.
