Apple’s Renewable Energy Sources for Data Farm

NBC’s News `Today’, recently, revealed a segment covered by the network’s chief environmental correspondent, Anne Thompson, on Apple’s push for environmental friendliness, an all renewable energy sources for its data farm. The report, a two and a half minute long, showcased the solar energy and fuel cells which were used at the iPhone maker’s Maiden, North Carolina centre and seems to be the main resource for iCloud and Siri among various internet related services.

It highlighted on the special segment known as a new kind of Apple farm with focus on its data centre along with solar array. Apple’s NC data centre is entirely powered by reusable energy which includes the massive solar farm and on site biogas cells.

According to Thompson, she states that `all the cool convenience of smartphones and tablet will now come with a hidden price – power, where downloading apps and information in the cloud would no longer mean polluting the air’.

Apple Reducing Footprint

While walking the huge solar panel farm, Thompson interviewed Lisa Jackson, Apple Vice President of Environmental Initiatives, where the former EPA administrator informed that with clean energy such as the nation’s largest end user owned solar farm, Apple would now be capable of growing a variety of connected devices and simultaneously be reducing its carbon footprint thereby making its contribution on a cleaner environment.

Jackson has also been heard commenting that they should take this opportunity to help people to convert to a cleaner energy without even knowing they are doing it. She has also noted that Apple at times had been generating more solar power than needed enabling the excess power towards supplying energy to the city’s power grid.

Saving on Power Usage and Expenses

This facility creates additional power than needed and returns the excess back to the grid for use by other consumers, though usually by law, energy companies should be paying individuals and companies that return more power than their consumption but the money incurred would not be significant when compared to the initial cost.

In the long run, Apple would be able to save on power usage as well as expenses connected with environmental offsets and generate additional jobs in the maintenance and management of combination of solar arrays and biogas fuel cells

Expanded Global Recycling Program

The interview provided an insight into Apple’s data centre which consists of servers and telecommunication equipment which were responsible for iCloud, Siri as well as other online assets. Moreover a major part of the energy provided by the on-site solar farm and biogas generators was used in cooling the machines.

Thompson has stated that while other tech companies like Facebook, Yahoo and Google used clean energy at their own data centres, it was only Apple who were using hundred percent of renewable energy and who had been announcing it environmental initiatives with the launch of `Better’ campaign on an eco-friendly tear recently.

Apple has been promoting its environmental effort more forcefully as the ambitious project of its Maiden plant are on its way to success. Moreover it has also recently launched an expanded global recycling program putting pressure on suppliers to adhere to earth friendly practises, with their plans in making its retail stores that will be running on renewable power wherever possible.