In a move to rehabilitate its environmental image amid rising concerns over carbon emissions from growing data centers, Apple recently announced its flagship center will be powered exclusively from renewable sources.
The corporation is building two large solar arrays that will supply up to 84 million kWh annually, covering nearly 250 acres of nearby land. An additional bio-gas fuel-cell plant supplied by rising startup Bloom Energy will help the company meets its goal of making the data center coal-free by the end of 2012.
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60 percent of the data centers energy needs will be met by this sun-and-gas-powered trifecta, with the remaining 40 percent coming from local renewable energy sources. To help improve efficiency within their facility, Apple is also implementing a chilled water storage system, free air cooling, a white cool roof design, and motion-activated LED lighting.
As cloud computing gains traction and more data centers are required to keep up with growing demand, hopefully other companies will follow Apple’s lead.
