This is fantastic news, but would be even better if they looked at Molten Salt Storage. An Australian idea, that sadly Australia is yet to act on. 
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Apple's Data Centers Now Running on 100% Renewable Energy, Corporate Facilities at 75%
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Scandinavia not part of Europe? I think you need re-check that "fact". I don't see Scotland leaving Europe either, perhaps they might divorce Great Britain, but that's not the same as becoming its own continent.
Oops, my bad. I was thinking of the single currency. They win the Eurovision Song Contest frequently, how could I possibly forget Lordi?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NG3bzjVz_A
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/uk-britain-scotland-eu-idUKBRE91A00420130211
Once again, confusing political entities with continents... I was right about Africa though! Along with my freedom, you can't take that away from me!
You do realize that Apple employs thousands of people, right? A large portion of the money they make goes to those employees and to their families. This is a very good thing.
Thats nice and all, but how long will it be until they can break even from all of the money they spent on this? And I really wouldnt say this is very "green" since they are wasting 100 acres of land just to power 1 data center. That seems like a big waste of space.
My company calculated 8 years. And that's in the UK, which is known for being rainy, and last year was the wettest since records began over 200 years ago.
Earth plannning
It is great! And it is more than others do. But, and this is also an important thought, they use open space, and this is not sustainable because we are limited on space for humans and nature. The alternative is, possibly, to use the roofs of our houses in the urban areas. There are possibilities of very important advantages and synergies for all. Overage of energy can injected to the net without loss, because the production is placed where consumer lives. The great advantage is that there is no use on additional space on earth, and the energy production is located to the users. Save the users money, so apple can really save money.
It is great! And it is more than others do. But, and this is also an important thought, they use open space, and this is not sustainable because we are limited on space for humans and nature. The alternative is, possibly, to use the roofs of our houses in the urban areas. There are possibilities of very important advantages and synergies for all. Overage of energy can injected to the net without loss, because the production is placed where consumer lives. The great advantage is that there is no use on additional space on earth, and the energy production is located to the users. Save the users money, so apple can really save money.
so, in your wise opinion, what large companies should do?
In my wise (?) opinion, companies that can afford the extra cost should use renewable energy and then make sure that their potential customers know all about it.
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It is a good thing for those employees. It is a necessary evil for a corporation like Apple.
Where is Apple getting the renewable hydrogen for its fuel cells?
Me thinks that there's some horse hockey in this graphic.
Renewable hydrogen without any carbon. The RDF survives the late turtlenecked overlord.
Where is Apple getting the renewable hydrogen for its fuel cells?
Me thinks that there's some horse hockey in this graphic.
Renewable hydrogen without any carbon. The RDF survives the late turtlenecked overlord.
Could they be generating via electrolysis, from the surplus output of the solar cells and turbines, as a storage medium?
No - Apple is lying, they're not using clean hydrogen.
And that's assuming that you buy into the fraud that it's "100% renewable" if you burn local dirty hydrocarbons but buy renewable (but just as dirty) hydrocarbons someplace else and pump them into another, disconnected pipeline. There's also the very troubling problem that "biogas" is often generated by diverting food into fuel production - driving up the price of food and making world hunger worse.
In other words, Apple's graphic is a lie, since they're not burning clean hydrogen. But Apple lying is nothing new.
Why does truth == hate in your mind?
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Have you considered that the "H2" icon may simply be a standard way to represent a fuel cell? Has Apple ever otherwise claimed to be using "clean hydrogen"?
But... That's what apple is doing, isn't it?
Of course even if they are serious about green energy, they can still take advantage of the PR side of it as well...
So without xserve and an ancient Mac pro, apple must be running their data center on Linux boxes? Or maybe hackintosh servers? Does anyone have any inside knowledge...?
Interesting Timeline
This is largely an unrelated comment... but I find the timeline on all of this amazing. Apple was able to get this solar array from 0 to 100% in what? Two or two and a half years, tops?
Why, then, does it take some of these big solar companies 4-6 years to get an array built? And you wonder why so many of them have failed as companies.
I'm all for renewable energy sources, but I've never been able to understand why the companies that wind up proposing all the plants and solar arrays always suck miserably at actually BEING companies.
</rant>
This is largely an unrelated comment... but I find the timeline on all of this amazing. Apple was able to get this solar array from 0 to 100% in what? Two or two and a half years, tops?
Why, then, does it take some of these big solar companies 4-6 years to get an array built? And you wonder why so many of them have failed as companies.
I'm all for renewable energy sources, but I've never been able to understand why the companies that wind up proposing all the plants and solar arrays always suck miserably at actually BEING companies.
</rant>
First bring in the bulldozers and plow down what was a beautiful forest. Cut down all nearby trees, and level the earth like a billiard table. No animals, no birds, no nature allowed! And NO FARMING either! Wasn't some of that once a farm?? Next mine a mountain of sand, iron ore, bauxite and drill a whole lot of oil and natural gas wells. Build a huge rock crusher, several conveyer belt systems a few deep water ports, some ships, etc.; using huge trucks get mined raw ore to crusher and using massive electricity turn to slurry and transport to smelting plant very far away and using copious amounts of electricity and natural gas forge into ingots. Pipeline oil and natural gas to refinery to crack into components for to plastic and resins and bitumen. Clear cut and level more land and build factory (even bigger than Apples center) to build solar panels. Use lots and lots of electricity, refined metal ingots, plastics, and resins to build solar panels. Subsidize factory, workers, and panels copiously with tax payer dollars as they wouldn't exist without it. Pray for no bankruptcy!!! Using trucks ship to North Carolina on roads made of bitumen (oil) to clear cutting site. Set up on what was once "pristine" Bambi forest and pray for sun. Replace panels as they fail or run out of conversion power. Fly in airplane and take picture from 500' of what was once a beautiful forest now non existent now a gleaming synthetic man made field of glass and metal and plastic, sponsoring plenty of erosion. Sit back, feel good.
