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Apple Given All-Clear To Sell Energy From Solar Farm

Electronics giant Apple has been granted permission to sell energy generated at its $850m (£645m) solar farm in California. Last year, the tech firm acquired a 2,900-acre power facility in Monterey County, giving it 130 megawatts of solar energy capacity.

Apple Given Energy Solar Farm

Now, it has the go-ahead to sell that energy into wholesale markets.

Apple said renewable energy generated at the site could power 60,000 California homes.

One expert says power generated from solar farms is not consistent.

Dr Niall Mac Dowell, a lecturer in energy and environmental technology at Imperial College London, told the Daily Released that “just because Apple has invested in that capacity does not mean they’ll get the same level of energy from it.”

There is a big difference between installing solar panels and generating electricity from them, he said.

“Today, on a sunny August afternoon in the UK, we are getting about 0% energy from solar power.”

He added: “It’s awesome that Apple is investing in renewable power when it can, but that doesn’t mean it’s about to go off-grid.”

‘A positive step’

On Thursday, energy officials in Washington DC said Apple could sell its power at market-based rates.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also noted that Apple owns a similar 20-megawatt facility in Nevada, as well as a 50-megawatt facility in Arizona.

Last year, Apple said the Monterey County site could supply enough electricity to power all its stores, offices, headquarters and a data centre.

James Court, the head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association, described Apple’s investment as “a hugely positive step”.

He told the Daily Released: “A decent-sized gas power station can produce between 200 and 400 megawatts, so Apple’s capacity is sizeable.”

Apple’s $850m investment in the Monterey County facility was announced last year as part of the corporation’s bid to reduce its carbon footprint.

Other major tech firms have investments in renewable energy. Homeowners could also subscribe to Nexamp if they’re considering fully switching to solar power.

In June last year, Google purchased 236 megawatts of energy capacity from two wind farms in Sweden and Norway.

Then in February, Microsoft announced it was experimenting with underwater data centres to reduce the energy consumed when cooling the facility.

Mr Court expects energy self-sufficiency will become more commonplace across businesses in the future.

“One of the growth areas in the UK is going to be companies self-supplying though solar power. I think we’re seeing a rise of self-supplying already,” he said.

The US owns 11% of the global solar power market, according to industry body SolarPower Europe. That’s about three times as much as the UK’s share (4%), and not too far off from the leading country China (19%).

Tony Williams
Tony Williams
Tony Williams is a seasoned journalist with over 10 years of experience covering a wide range of topics, from local news to international events. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering the truth, Tony has won numerous awards for his investigative reporting. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of California and has worked for several top-tier newspapers. Tony is known for his tenacity and commitment to delivering high-quality journalism to his readers, and he is widely respected in the industry for his integrity and professionalism.
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