Apple adds 650 megawatts of renewable energy in Europe with more in China

Apple announced Tuesday that it has signed contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable energy in Europe.

This includes wind and solar projects that are either operational or soon to be commissioned. A large portion of the energy they produce will go towards offsetting the energy used by Apple’s customers. Using everything from Mac Pros to Apple Watches accounts for nearly a third of the company’s carbon footprint.

Although Europe is not usually considered a sunny continent, Apple buys power from several solar farms, including 110 megawatts each in Greece and Latvia, 131 megawatts in Spain and 40 megawatts in Poland. The wind farms will contribute 99 megawatts in Romania and a part of the 129 megawatt solar-wind portfolio in Italy.

Separately, Apple also said it would invest $150 million in China to help its suppliers switch to renewable energy. Already, renewables power more than 90% of the company’s production and output in the country.

Perhaps most notable about these announcements is that they appear in the newsrooms of Apple’s regional websites, but not in the feed of its US press site. Previously, the company’s press releases about regional renewable energy markets appeared in this feed, perhaps out of a desire not to draw the ire of the Trump administration, which has been hostile to renewables.

Still, solar and wind – and increasingly grid-scale batteries – are the key energy source for tech companies looking to power their operations.

Microsoft and Meta have also been steady buyers of solar in particular. This year alone, Meta has added more than 2 gigawatts of solar capacity, and Microsoft has signed deals that increase its total by 1.5 gigawatts.

While most major tech companies are committed to moving into renewable energy, more practical considerations help drive such deals. Solar and wind are among the cheapest forms of new generation capacity, dwarfing coal and natural gas. When combined with batteries, which continue to decrease in cost, they can provide constant power 24/7.

The other reason is speed: Solar farms can be built quickly, with a typical project taking just 18 months to complete. Additionally, they can be completed in phases, allowing part of the project to go online early. For tech companies, which are in a race to secure power for their data centers and AI operations, this speed can make a significant difference.