Apple To Build Nation's Largest End-User Owned On-Site Solar Plant

Apple is big on green for many reasons. The company uses green power, such as solar energy, to reduce the money spent to power its facilities and because green power causes less pollution. This week Apple published its 2012 Facilities Report and Environmental Update. This report details Apple's environmental footprint. The report shows that in 2011 Apple saved 5,000,000 kWh in Cupertino alone.

The most interesting part of the report is about Apple's Maiden, North Carolina data center. The facility has some sort of white cool-roof for increased solar reflectivity. The most interesting part though is a massive on-site solar array Apple has planned. Apple intends to surround the facility with the largest end-user owned on-site solar array in the country. The gigantic solar array will sit on 100 acres of land and generate 20-megawatt of power.

Apple notes that is 42,000,000 kWh of clean renewable energy to be generated by the solar facility each year. Solar power isn't the only thing Apple is using at this facility; it will also be installing a five-megawatt non-utility fuel cell installation at the data center as well. That fuel cell will provide 40,000,000 kWh base load renewable energy each year. That is one heck of a lot of clean, renewable power. The facility uses so much renewable energy that it is the first data center of its size to achieve the LEED Platinum certification.

[via 9to5Mac]