Apple is all set to build a solar energy storage project which would be purely battery based. This project will take place in Central California and will be located near a solar energy installation. The batteries for this project, as per the reports, are to be supplied by Tesla.
This solar energy storage project is called California Flats. As per the post made by Apple, this new project will allow the company to store excess energy and use it whenever it is required. According to Apple this project is capable of storing 240 megawatt hours of energy which is more than sufficient to supply power to 7,000 homes for a day.
Lisa Jackson, the Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives for Apple told Reuters, “The challenge with clean energy – solar and wind – is that it’s by definition intermittent. If we can do it, and we can show that it works for us, it takes away the concerns about intermittency and it helps the grid in terms of stabilization. It’s something that can be imitated or built upon by other companies.”
Apple currently owns a 130 megawatt solar farm in California. The entire project set up is set to consist of 85 Tesla lithium – ion “megapacks”. The company also recently made an announcement that more than 110 of its manufacturing partners from all around the world will be moving towards a 100% renewable energy for their Apple production.
The company had already announced in last July to become a carbon neutral company by 2030. Given the amount of environment consciousness the company possesses, it is very commendable that Apple is still committed towards the usage of renewable sources of energy. A solar is one of the most easily available sources for this, which is clean and also proves to be a cost effective method in the long run, it can be assumed that Apple is all set to pose a very good example when it comes to ethical business standards.
Speaking about the suppliers of the company and the various industries they function, they are not always provided with an option to access clean energy. In order to solve this problem, Apple set up a China Clean Energy Fund. The company also connects its suppliers with various opportunities to purchase renewable energy.
Along with all this, Apple is constantly in the process to develop newer and better tools for its suppliers to help them act on their renewable energy goals. The company also provides its suppliers with resources and training materials with country specific information. In order to contribute more towards its commitment for incorporating renewable energy, the company has said to have spent $4.7 billion on Green Bonds to provide support for environmental projects all around the world.
Once the project is complete an operating in full force, it is estimated that this plan is capable of avoiding over 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent annually. Which can prove to be huge step towards environmental sustainability and protection. The company has always strived to make its operations more and more environmental friendly and reduce operations that might be considered harmful. Apple has also managed to reduce the carbon footprints, even when its net revenues has seen a constant increase.
