Apple is aiming to use hydroelectric energy to power its Prineville, Oregon data center, and has purchased a power plant to make that happen. The company recently bought a hydroelectric plant that's under construction near its data center and will use it to generate up to 3.5 megawatts for the facility.
Apple to use water power for Oregon data center
Government documents show that EBD Hydro, the company that started the project in 2011, signed over ownership of property related to the power plant to Apple in November, according to The Bulletin.
The isn't the only renewable energy source Apple will have for its data centers. The company already relies on solar and wind power, and has made a commitment to using environmentally friendly power sources when possible.
Apple began construction on its Oregon data center in October 2012, and bought more land for expansion in September 2014. The Prineville data center already covers more than 338,000 square feet and includes facilities for a small staff.
Apple isn't saying what the data center is used for, although there has been speculation that it's part of the system that runs Siri voice recognition.
The hydroelectric plant will be able to help power Apple's data center only part of the year because it relies on water that passed through a canal seasonally. The plant won't generate enough electricity to power the entire facility, but it will make for a nice supplement when it's running.
[Some image elements courtesy Shutterstock]