Earth Protect Blog

Apple’s massive 500,000 square-foot Project Dolphin data center in Maiden, N.C., is taking clean energy to a new level. Apple has confirmed its commitment to environmentally responsible business practices with the announcement that the facility will be powered completely by clean, renewable energy by the end of 2012. Yes, in just a few short months the power-hungry data center, which will use about 20 megawatts of power when it reaches full capacity, will be running on 100 percent clean power.

 

If that doesn’t amaze you, then perhaps this figure will: 60 percent of this clean energy will be generated onsite. The onsite generation will come from two 100-acre solar array installations. Each solar array is capable of producing 42 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually.

 

The 84 million kWh combined solar power will be added to the 40 million kWh of electricity that will be produced by an onsite biogas-powered 5-megawatt fuel cell installation for a total of 124 million kWh of clean onsite power. To put that into perspective, this is enough electricity to provide power to nearly 11,000 homes.

 

Apple is generating 60 percent of the power onsite but the other 40 percent of the data center’s power needs will be purchased from local and regional sources. One of these power sources is the Catawba County landfill.

 

NC Greenpower will be working with the landfill to convert methane gas generated by the waste into usable electricity that will help power the Project Dolphin data center.

 

Learn more about Apple’s commitment to clean energy at its North Carolina data center by visiting the Apple and the Environment Data Center and Renewable Energy website.

http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/blogs/apple-data-center-to-run-entirely-on-clean-energy