Apple’s 4.8 megawatt fuel cell farm in North Carolina stands as the country’s largest private fuel cell energy project.
The fuel cells are set to be installed in the following weeks with the entire system in full operation by December of this year in the same complex that powers the company’s Maiden, NC data center, the birthplace of iCloud.
The facility will be powered by California-based Bloom Energy “energy servers,” currently being used for clean energy production by several of the leading tech firms such as Adobe, eBay, and Google.
Fuel cell installations will require 24 200-kilowatt Bloom units that extract hydrogen from natural gas provided by Piedmont Natural Gas.
Apple’s newly constructed fuel cell facility is a step in the right direction away from previous public criticism for its delay in joining the green energy initiative.
At $6.7 million per megawatt, fuel cells are among today’s most expensive methods of energy production. Apple’s 4.8 megawatt fuel cell facility will amount to roughly $30 million. But a company powered by creative innovation, and that’s achieved as much success as it has, is put on a pedestal for others to emulate; embracing its commitment to the environment is practically obligatory.
Until next time,
Stephanie
