China (Aba)
Apple has never been shy about promoting its green credentials but it is their latest project in China that is really setting a new benchmark for multinational energy guzzlers. The computer giant has started building a 40 megawatt solar energy plant in China’s western Sichuan Province that will be ready to launch at the end of 2015. The power generated will be enough to power domestic consumption of electricity for about 39,000 households and replace a theoretical discharge of 67,000 tons of CO2 every year.
Working with SunPower, who have already provided Apple with a 90 megawatt plant in the US, the China project is expected to offset the energy use of all of its offices and retail stores in the country. Not only will the plant make Apple one of the first energy neutral companies in China, they have chosen the ethnically Tibetan region of Aba to be home to their plant. This particularly underdeveloped part of China will provide jobs, power and local infrastructure to some of China’s poorest people. Furthermore, they are working with the World Wildlife Fund to responsibly manage a million acres of forest in the same region.
Bio
Tom is a writer and commentator on culture, society and lifestyle in Asia where he has been based for 15 years.
Project leader
Tim Cook, CEO Apple
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