Apple Reveals Plans for Two New Ambitious Clean Energy Initiatives

Apple Reveals Plans for Two New Ambitious Clean Energy Initiatives
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Apple has recently announced the launch of two new clean energy initiatives, poised to be implemented by its manufacturing partners in China. Between now and the year 2020 the plan will cut the Cupertino giant’s greenhouse gas pollution by at least 20 million metric tons.

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According to Apple, that emission reduction is equivalent to taking four million automobiles off the road over the same amount of time.

The company also announced that it recently completed construction of a solar power farm in the Sichuan province, which is expected to harness roughly 40 megawatts of renewable power. Thanks in part to the company’s solar initiatives, Apple now provides renewable electrical power for all of its offices and retail stores in the country, while rendering its carbon footprint in China neutral.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, reports in a press release “Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now. The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We at Apple believe passionately in leaving the world better that we found it, and we hope that many other suppliers, partners, and companies will join us in this important effort.”

Apple also reports that the company is now honing in on its efforts to be environmentally friendly in China by continuing to broaden its clean-energy investments. To the end, the company will soon begin construction of more than 200 megawatts of solar power projects in the northern, eastern and southern grid regions of mainland China.

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These projects, according to Apple, will produce as much energy as is required to power more than 265,000 Chinese homes in a year, thereby offsetting some of the electricity used by its supply chain partners.

Additionally, Apple plans to launch an initiative to encourage its manufacturing partners to become more energy friendly, and to use clean energy to power their own operations. Accordingly, the iPhone maker has pledged to partner with its suppliers to install more than 2 gigawatts of clean energy infrastructure within the coming years.

“Apple also will share the best practices in procuring clean energy and building high-quality renewable energy projects, and provide hands-on assistance to some suppliers in areas like energy efficiency audits, regulatory guidance and building strong partnerships to bring new clean energy projects to China,” added Cook in the company’s press release.

Most notably, Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest partners, will construct 400 megawatts of solar power generating infrastructure by 2018. Foxconn, which is primarily responsible for manufacturing the iPhone and iPad, has vowed to produce as much energy as the company’s Zhengzhou factory uses on an annual basis.

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