Tech giant Apple has announced plans to go 100% renewable at a data center it is building in Reno, Nevada.
The data center will rely on solar energy and geothermal energy to meet its electricity needs.
It’s another step towards the company’s goal to meet 100 percent of energy needs from renewable sources. For now, the company uses 100 percent renewables at all its data centers and at a few of its facilities across the world. Plus, 75 percent of their corporate facilities around the world run on clean energy.
Apple’s data center in Maiden, NC. Credit: Apple
According to reports, the 137 acre solar array will support Apple’s data center and also feed energy back to the grid. Once complete, the installation will generate around 43.5 million kWh of energy, equivalent to taking 6,400 cars off the road each year.
The company already has the largest end user-owned, onsite solar array in the country at its data center in Maiden, North Carolina. That site generates enough electricity to power around 17,600 homes each year.
The Maiden data center has a 100 acre, 20 MW solar array, and they’re expecting to complete a second 20 MW installation nearby by years’ end.
