Apple, the American company known worldwide for its iPhone, iPads and Macbooks has now announced it is turning its attention to building an energy storage facility. The project will be located in Northern California.
The battery installation is planned to store 240 megawatt-hours of energy, which is enough to power 7,000 homes for a whole day. It is one of the largest renewable energy projects of its kind in the country. It will support Apple’s existing 130 megawatt portion of a solar farm known as California Flats by storing excess energy generated and distributing it during both daytime and night to the company’s facilities.
Apart from this, Apple is investing in research into energy storage technologies. It is currently developing a lithium phosphate battery for its planned electric car, according to reports. The trillion dollar company has the goal of reducing its carbon emission. So far, it has achieved a reduction of 40 percent, which translates into millions of metric tonnes of emission cut off. Apple has a personal deadline of 2030 for achieving 100% renewable energy sources. It has also been able to influence over 110 of its vendors to set the same goals. $4.7 billion of the company’s cash hoard has been earmarked for environmental projects worldwide. Additionally, the company is ready to share lessons learnt with other companies.
“We are firmly committed to helping our suppliers become carbon neutral by 2030 and are thrilled that companies who’ve joined us span industries and countries around the world, including Germany, China, the U.S., India, and France,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, says. “In a year like no other, Apple continued to work with a global network of colleagues, companies, and advocates to help make our environmental efforts and everything we do a force for good in people’s lives — and to work alongside the communities most impacted by climate change.”
The battery packs will be supplied by Tesla, using its Tesla Megapack ESS systems, according to documents perused by The Verge. Interestingly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed he tried to sell his company to Apple but it never worked out. The closest the two companies have been linked is for raiding each other’s top talents.
Tesla is known as an electric vehicle company but it has been developing its energy subsidiary, taking on large scale, high profile energy storage projects, even with some if its main auto rivals.