Apple is partnering with Akamai, Etsy, and Swiss Re to develop two new wind and solar energy farms in Illinois and Virginia. The clean energy initiative will provide power for company operations in the eastern United States.
[Apple Launches Chinese Clean Energy Fund]
Clean Energy Initiative
The clean energy initiative will generate 290 megawatts to the PJM energy grid. This is enough to power 74,000 homes, although it won’t be used for that purpose. Through collaboration the companies were able to get competitive pricing and agreement terms. Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of Environment, said in a statement:
At Apple, we’re proud to power all of our operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy. In the process, we’ve charted a course for other companies and organizations to purchase renewable energy and transition their own operations to greener power.
The Swiss Re Group is an insurance provider, and will anticipate and manage risk for the initiative. This includes risk from natural disasters, climate change, aging populations, and cyber crime.
Meanwhile, Akamai—serving as Apple’s content delivery partner—has 200,000 servers in 130 countries, which includes a facility in Virginia that could make use of this clean energy.
[Apple, the Worlds Most Profitable Company, Now Operates on 100% Renewable Energy]