Tech giant Apple has announced that it is ‘significantly expanding’ its renewable energy capacity across Europe, with the development of large-scale solar and wind farms in Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Romania.
Along with a recently-unveiled solar farm in Spain, these projects, once completed, will add 650 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to Europe’s electrical grids, as well as unlocking more than $600 million in financing.
The projects support Apple’s broader environmental target of achieving carbon neutrality across its entire operations and product life cycle by the end of the decade.
By 2030, the company has pledged to match 100% of global customer electricity use with clean electricity, enabling users to charge and power their devices with renewable energy from new wind and solar sources.
Matched energy
“By 2030, we want our users to know that all the energy it takes to charge their iPhone or power their Mac is matched with clean electricity,” commented Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.
“Our new projects in Europe will help us achieve our ambitious Apple 2030 goal, while contributing to healthy communities, thriving economies, and secure energy sources across the continent.”
The energy required to charge and power Apple devices accounted for around 29% of the company’s overall greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, with the company’s renewable development strategy focusing on locations with higher product usage, and, therefore, carbon intensity.
Renewable projects
In Greece, Apple has signed a long-term agreement to purchase power from a 110-megawatt solar facility owned and operated by HELLENiQ Energy, while in Italy, it is supporting a 129-megawatt portfolio of solar and wind developments, including a solar project in Sicily, which is due to come on-stream this month.
In Poland, Apple has enabled Econergy’s 40-megawatt solar array, set to enter operation later this year, while in Romania, the company plans to procure energy from Nala Renewables’ 99-megawatt wind farm in Galați County. Finally, in Latvia, Apple has entered into a corporate power purchase agreement with European Energy, which will see it procure energy from a 110-megawatt solar farm.
‘As Apple progresses toward its 2030 goal, the company is working to enable renewable energy projects around the world,’ the company added. ‘In addition to investments for product use, Apple and its suppliers support over 19 gigawatts of renewable used to power the company’s global corporate operations and manufacturing supply chain.’ Read more here.
