Apple has gone into detail about how it sources energy for its data centers, explaining its plans to reach 100 percent renewable energy for all of its data centers by 2013. The company is adding an additional large solar panel farm in North Carolina, sourcing hydro power for its upcoming center in Oregon, and transitioning its existing data center in California to renewable sources. Apple is planning to power much of its other operations with renewable energy as well.
But Apple isn't alone in adopting "green" energy and design for its data centers and operations. Microsoft recently announced plans to make all its data centers and operations "carbon neutral" by July 2012. Google has invested heavily in outfitting its data centers and operations facilities with solar panel roofs and sourcing wind and other renewable energy. The overall trend toward greater data center efficiency began in earnest around 2008, when "performance-per-watt" began to trump raw gigahertz speed as the top concern for IT operations, just after Google helped found the Climate Savers Computing Initiative in 2007.
Cutting coal in North Carolina
Apple has already confirmed that a 20MW solar array and a 5MW fuel cell array are being built adjacent to its Maiden, North Carolina data center. The company is also planning an additional 20MW solar array just a few miles away. Each solar panel array is capable of generating 42 million kWh of clean energy annually. The fuel cells, which run on waste methane generated by a nearby landfill, will produce another 40 million kWh.
(While the peak output of the solar array is 20MW, that's only in full sunlight. This is why the average output for an entire year is comparable to a 5MW fuel cell, which can run all day and night.)
Combined, Apple will be able to generate 124 million kWh of clean energy on-site, which the company says will cover 60 percent of the data center's energy needs. The remaining 40 percent will be acquired from local and regional sources of wind and other renewable energy sources.
Greenpeace was quick to claim responsibility for Apple transitioning to clean energy. The organization has recently tried to paint iCloud as one of the worst-polluting cloud services since much of the grid power in North Carolina is supplied via coal. In a press release sent to Ars, Greenpeace suggested that demands from activists resulted in Apple's planned changes.
"Apple's announcement today is a great sign that Apple is taking seriously the hundreds of thousands of its customers who have asked for an iCloud powered by clean energy, not dirty coal," Greenpeace International Senior IT Analyst Gary Cook said in a statement.
LEED Platinum in the house
However, it's clear that Apple has been planning its move long before Greenpeace's recent "How Clean is Your Cloud?" campaign. The Maiden data center, which currently powers iCloud's services, was planned from the start (since at least 2009, and probably earlier) to be a green facility. Apple contracted the late Olivier Sanche, regarded as one of the top experts in data center efficiency, to design the building. Thanks to his work, the building has earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest standard in green building construction.
As we learned from our trip to Other World Computing's LEED-Platinum-certified headquarters just outside of Chicago, earning that certification is no easy feat. Apple detailed some of the Maiden building's features, such as its bright white, heat reflecting roof, and its highly efficient LED lighting. Construction processes used also kept 91 percent of the typical construction waste out of landfills, and Apple sourced 41 percent of the materials from local sources.
But we also know that every tiny detail matters to getting a LEED Platinum certification—many of which Apple didn't mention. For instance, all paints, carpets, and other materials can't off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These VOCs are what makes a recently painted room smell funny, for instance, and aren't good to breathe. Likewise, cleaning supplies used throughout the building must be biodegradable and nonpolluting. Reliance on natural sources of lighting and ventilation are also important considerations.
One interesting design feature directly related to Maiden's data center operations is a water chiller, which can utilize cool outside air during cold months or evenings. There's also a large holding tank to store chilled water generated during off-peak hours to use during peak hours, reducing energy demands during those hours. This same arrangement also helps to reduce reliance on off-site energy, since the solar arrays don't produce any energy at night.
But wait, there's more
Apple is in the process of planning and building an additional data center in Prineville, Oregon. The area around Prineville has become a hotspot for data center construction—Google, Facebook, and Amazon have data centers in the area—because of its abundance of clean energy, largely from hydro turbines. Apple says it will also source energy from local wind and geothermal sources, so all of its energy needs will be met with local, renewable sources.
Finally, the company has recently received regulatory approval to buy 100 percent renewable energy sources for its original Newark, California data center. Apple claims that all energy sources for that facility will be clean by 2013.
Beyond its data centers, Apple now uses 100 percent renewable energy for its operations offices in Austin, Texas; Sacramento, California; Cork, Ireland; and Munich, Germany. Its Cupertino headquarters currently gets half of its energy requirements from renewable sources, including an on-site fuel cell array similar to the one used in Maiden.