Apple Park Construction, Tech Leaders Make Huge Strides in Renewable Energy

renewable energy

Clean energy has been an increasingly important topic in the U.S. Recent attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget have created more fuel for the flame of environmental activism.

While there is much confusion and concern, there is still great progress being made. Private sector tech leaders Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple are pushing for 100% clean energy-run operations.

Making headlines and inspiring activists, Apple’s new headquarters, “Apple Park,” has been hailed as the world’s biggest building with all-natural ventilation. By April of this year construction will be complete and over 12,000 members of the Apple crew will be relocated to the 2.8 million square-foot metropolis.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST NATURALLY VENTILATED BUILDING

Over in Cupertino, Calif., Apple Park is massive. It looks like a spaceship with a circular, ring-shaped design and four stories. The new headquarters rests on a 175-acre campus, in the heart of Santa Clara Valley. Apple has taken a miles of unremarkable sprawling asphalt and turned it into a haven of greenery. In addition to earning the global title for ventilation, it’s also clad in the world’s largest panels of curved glass. Apple Park has been envisioned as a capitol of creativity and collaboration, a beautiful alignment with the highly-cultivated Apple culture.

The entire space has been designed to inspire the team while benefiting the environment. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has described the building as “luminously designed,” to foster creativity. He believes they have achieved the most energy-efficient building of its kind on the planet.

The huge multi-billion dollar building runs on 100% renewable energy. With all of its energy conservation features, they won’t need to use air conditioning or heat for nine months out of the year. As part of its huge renewable energy initiative, Apple Park boasts its own on-site solar installation. It’s 17 megawatts of solar and the largest on-site solar facility in the world.

For those who have done their research, you may be familiar with the Russia Tower skyscraper project that was planned for Moscow. It’s the top result when you search “world’s largest naturally ventilated building.” However, that project has been reported canceled. Also worth noting, the same architectures, London firm Foster + Partners, has designed Apple Park.

Fosters + Partners architecture thrives on environmental performance. The belief that quality of surroundings has a direct influence on quality of life drives their building designs.

In memory of the iconic Apple founder and leader, a Steve Jobs memorial theatre has been constructed on the highest hill overlooking meadows and the main building. It’s a 1,000-seat auditorium created with a futuristic spaceship design. Beautiful 20-foot glass cylinder supports a metallic carbon-fiber roof. The theatre covers 165 feet in diameter. Jobs would have turned 62 on February 24. With a primary placement in the campus, Jobs great legacy will be honored through generations of innovative thinkers.

Some exciting perks for Apple employees include a 100,000 square-foot fitness center, R+D facilities as well as walking and running track amidst the greenery. In line with the all-natural theme of creativity, Apple park scenery features an orchard, meadow and pond.

If you’re ever looking for some additional inspiration, you’re welcome to pop in to the campus whenever. Apple’s new headquarters includes a visitor’s center. There’s a café and store that the public is welcomed to explore.

TECH LEADERS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRESSION

Apple Park brings renewable energy into the spotlight in a positive way. With excellent tech leaders like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon pushing forward, others will be inspired to do so as well.

In the future, the servers handling your Google Maps requests and Gmail needs will use only emissions-free energy. Last December Google promised the public that it would serve the planet through its use of renewable energy. At the end of 2016, Google committed to using 100 percent renewable energy for 2017. With all the wind and solar power they’ve been acquiring, they plan to hit their mark.

Earlier this month Amazon announced its commitment to clean energy. They will be installing solar panels in 15 of their fulfillment centers in the U.S. alone. Amazon executives plan to expand that to 50 solar fulfillment centers around the world by 2020.

Right now they have solar panels at fulfillment centers in California, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada and New Jersey with capacity to power 80% of the needed energy. Additionally, Amazon has wind and solar farms in Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia that are powering Amazon Web Services data centers.

Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said they’re looking for global partnerships. With diversity in portfolios, he believes they can easily attain a win-win scenario with low business costs and savings for their customers.

Social media giant Facebook has also been scoring really well in Greenpeace, earning a “radical improvements in transparency” report. To further their green goals, they have data centers in Clonee, Ireland and Los Lunas, New Mexico being constructed to run entirely on clean energy.

WHY RENEWABLE ENERGY OPERATIONS MAKE SENSE

What’s great about all these tech leaders moving towards renewable energy, it’s more than just an excellent public image. It just makes sense. Renewable energy is getting cheaper and cheaper, providing clear benefits for company’s bottom line. Since 2012, solar energy prices have dropped by 80%. Similarly, wind power has dropped 60 percent. Solar and wind power are starting to compete with natural gas and coal for affordability as well as accessibility. Additionally, clean energy is great for companies managing their future expenses. Wind and solar projects are typically certified on 10 or 20 year contracts.

These leading giant companies are doing their part in helping the world progress in our environmental responsibility. Overall tech companies are making huge progress in clean energy. They have accounted for two-thirds of all corporate renewable deals since 2010. Last year renewable energy investments hit a new record at $286 billion, which has really helped to drive costs down. With cheaper costs and inspiring leaders, renewables are more appealing than ever.

EPA, National Clean Energy Progression Over Nearly 50 Years

clean energy progression

For nearly half a century, the Environmental Protection Agency has worked to protect human and environmental health. The EPA has been the driving force behind environmental regulations such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Power Plan. In 2010 alone, over 160,000 people in the U.S. didn’t die from air pollution as a result of their efforts.

Along with our new president has come a change in national priorities. The EPA has entered the political spotlight with talk of reduction and even abolition. The agency is like a deer caught in the headlights, forced to redefine its value.

It’s clear that President Trump does not hold the EPA in as great esteem as President Obama did.

Myron Ebell, who has led President Trump’s EPA transition team, has indicated that climate education might be withdrawn from the EPA along with 10% of their federal funding.

Despite the declining political opinion of the EPA, a recent Reuters study revealed that over 60% of Americans would like to see an increase in the agency’s power. Only 19% wanted to see it “weakened or eliminated.”

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The EPA is a regulatory authority that works to decrease national pollutant emissions such as lead, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Since their founding in 1970, the EPA has successfully decreased the national average by 70%. Along with their overall accomplishments, the EPA has implemented three acts to help with different environmental sectors: air, water, and power plants.

The Clean Air Act has been cutting pollution for over 45 years, all while the economy has been steadily growing. While the GDP has been rising, the aggregate national emissions of the six most common pollutants has dropped by 70%. Its programs have successfully decreased levels of toxic air pollutants such as particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

The CAA has also made great progress in cleaning the mess of mobility emissions. They managed to phase out lead usage in motor vehicle gasoline. This significantly cleaned up the airborne pollution which has been a widespread health concern. In lowering the air pollution, our environmental ecosystems are healthier. That includes plants, long-term forest health, soil nutrients, and other food chain toxins, such as fish and aquatic life forms. When it comes to landfill pollution, private sector companies have been pulling their weight by introducing creative means of recycling. One of our favorite examples of this is recycled HDPE plastic bathroom partitions which combine sustainable thinking with practical and affordable products.

The Clean Water Act has worked to regulate the discharge of pollutants into the water since its founding in1972. While protecting our nation’s water might sound like common sense, it hasn’t always been so. Implementing tough pollutant standards was original and radical at the time of its origin.

Through the CWA billions of dollars have been allocated to construct and upgrade publicly-run sewage-treatments around the nation. The CWA has also made great progress in preventing industrial pipes from dropping its waste into the water. In 1969 before the CWA started cleaning up, one river (the Cuyahoga) had literally burst into flames. Though not all U.S. waters are fishable or swimmable, at least they’re not flammable.

Less than two years ago President Obama and the EPA announced the Clean Power Plan. This was a huge step in history towards climate change. While the others focus on air and water, the CPP directs its efforts to reduce carbon pollution from power plants.

Power plants are currently the nation’s largest source of carbon pollution. Fossil fuel-fired power plants release 31% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. The CPP was the first ever set of national standards that addressed this issue.

The CPP was propelled into action by some record-breaking hot years. In 2014 we experienced the hottest year ever recorded. In the 21st century we’ve already witnessed 14 of the 15 hottest years in history. Many environmental scientists believe this is a direct result of excessive CO2 emissions. For this reason, the CPP provides crucial strategies to clean up our environment.

UNITED STATE PROGRESS IN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Aside from the efforts of the EPA, our national renewable energy efforts have made great headway as well. As the second-largest clean energy investor, the U.S. hit $44.1 billion in 2015. That encompasses the efforts of both public and private sectors.

In efforts to provide up-to-date national energy market statistics, a national factbook has been released. The Bloomberg New Energy Finance compiled data for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy to create the 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. Natural gas and renewable energy generation has gone up from 38% to nearly 50% in the last 5 years.

To top it off, our household energy spending has hit a record-breaking low in 2016. With a significant drop, the average household now spends less than 4% of annual incomes towards energy expenditure.

PRIVATE SECTOR EFFORTS, COMPANY INITIATIVES

In addition to our national efforts, many big businesses are creating mission statements with the goal to use 100% renewable energy. Starting this year, the sprawling data centers and offices of Google will use 100% renewable energy. Google’s recent wind and power investment will account for all their global electricity needs.

The tech giants of Apple and Facebook have also been running the race to 100% clean energy. Apple was able to hit 93% in 2015. Several well-known companies have followed suit in green energy initiatives. They’re ready to get in on the wave rolling through the nation.

Each renewable investment and green energy company initiative represents a milestone in the journey to a cleaner environment. As more and more business leaders join the wave, the sustainable energy momentum grows.