Apple announced on Tuesday contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable power across Europe, alongside a separate investment initiative in China. The new European energy capacity is intended to offset power consumption by the company’s customers and their use of its devices.
The agreements cover a portfolio of wind and solar projects that are either currently operational or will be soon. A significant portion of the electricity produced will be directed toward counterbalancing the energy usage of Apple’s customer base. The use of the company’s products, from Mac Pros to Apple Watches, accounts for nearly one-third of its overall carbon footprint, a factor driving these acquisitions.
The European power acquisition is sourced from several specific solar and wind farms. The solar projects include a 131-megawatt capacity in Spain, 110 megawatts each in Greece and Latvia, and a 40-megawatt capacity in Poland. Wind energy contributions will come from a 99-megawatt farm located in Romania. Additionally, Apple will draw power from a portion of a 129-megawatt combined solar and wind portfolio in Italy.
Separately, Apple revealed a $150 million investment in China aimed at assisting its suppliers with the transition to renewable energy. This initiative builds upon existing conditions, as renewable sources already power more than 90% of Apple’s manufacturing and production operations within the country. The investment is designed to accelerate this transition throughout its supply chain.
These announcements were published in the newsrooms of Apple’s regional websites but did not appear in the feed of its U.S. press site. This marked a departure from previous practice for the company’s releases on regional renewable power purchases. The source material noted this occurred during the Trump administration, which was described as being antagonistic to renewables.
Solar and wind energy, increasingly supplemented by grid-scale batteries, are common power sources for technology companies seeking to power their operations. Other major tech firms have also been active buyers of solar power. This year, Meta has added over 2 gigawatts of solar capacity, and Microsoft has signed deals that raise its total renewable capacity by 1.5 gigawatts.
