Thursday, July 25, 2019 8:33 am13 Comments

• News

Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, Apple Park, is powered by 100 percent renewable energy, in part from a 17-megawatt onsite rooftop solar installation.

From Solar Means Business:

U.S. businesses are increasingly turning to solar energy as a cost-effective means of powering their operations. As of 2018, Apple leads the nation with the most solar capacity installed, followed closely by Amazon, Target, Walmart and Switch.

The Solar Energy Industries Association’s seventh annual Solar Means Business Report follows solar adoption by businesses across the U.S., ranging from some of the country’s largest and most recognizable brands to the small businesses that make up our communities. For the first time, the 2018 report captures large off-site installations, as well as data on solar systems located at the site of the businesses themselves. Both installation types have grown considerably in recent years.

Through 2018, this report tracks more than 7,000 megawatts of installed solar capacity across 35,000 projects in 43 states, representing more than 70% of all commercial solar capacity installed in the U.S.

Apple ranks No.1 in SEIA’s annual report with Total Solar Capacity of 393.3 megawatts.

In 2018, Apple announced that their global operations were now powered by 100% renewable energy sources. The company’s data centers have been powered by renewable sources since 2014, and since 2011, all of Apple’s renewable energy projects have reduced greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) by 54 percent from its facilities worldwide and prevented nearly 2.1 million metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere. Apple Park, Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, is the largest LEED Platinum-certified office building in North America. It is powered by 100 percent renewable energy from multiple sources, including a 17-megawatt onsite rooftop solar installation and four megawatts of biogas fuel cells, and controlled by a microgrid with battery storage.

Amazon ranks No.2 with Total Solar Capacity of 329.8 megawatts.

Amazon has a long history of commitment to sustainability through innovative programs such as Shipment Zero, Frustration Free Packaging, Ship in Own Container, our network of solar and wind farms, solar on our fulfillment center rooftops, investments in the circular economy with the Closed Loop Fund, and numerous other initiatives happening every day by teams across Amazon. And we are on a path to becoming the most sustainable retailer and cloud provider in the world.

MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations to Apple and Amazon!