Apple makes progress on solar energy front

Company continues its march toward a future powered by solar energy

Technology superpower Apple has been taking an aggressive stance on renewable energy in recent years. The company is often criticized for being a major consumer of fossil-fuels, thus contributing to emerging environmental problems. Like other large companies, Apple is heavily reliant on fossil-fuels due to its gargantuan energy needs. Apple has, however, been showing strong advocacy for solar energy and has plans to continue making use of this form of sustainable power in the foreseeable future.

New data center to have its own solar power system

Apple has announced that its plans to build a new solar energy system that will be used to power one of its data centers in Reno, Nevada. This new system will be based off the one that Apple built for its primary data center in Maiden, North Carolina. The Reno system will have a capacity of 20 megawatts, which is roughly the same capacity as the Maiden system. There are several aspects of the Reno system that differ from its counterpart in North Carolina, the primary of which is the fact that the Reno facility will not be equipped with conventional solar panels.

Apple to tap into concentrated solar power

Apple is keen to tap into the power of concentrated solar energy. This involves the use of specially designed solar panels and mirrors that are capable of amplifying sunlight. These mirrors direct sunlight toward these solar panels and, due to the high intensity of light, these panels are more proficient in generating electrical power. Apple has teamed with SunPower, a leader in the solar energy field, to accomplish this goal at the Reno facility.

Renewable energy remains a top priority for Apple

Apple has an ambitious to see all of its data centers powered through the use of renewable energy. The new data center in Reno is on track to aligning with this endeavor and Apple continues to work to incorporate renewable energy in its other data centers throughout the country. Solar energy is not the only solution, of course, as Apple has also made use of hydrogen fuel cells at the data center in Maiden, North Carolina.