Greenpeace slams Apple's iCloud for relying 'heavily on dirty energy'

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


A new report from Greenpeace accuses Apple of lagging behind other technology companies, such as Facebook and Google, in utilizing environmentally friendly power for its cloud-based services.



The new report issued on Tuesday, entitled "How Clean is Your Cloud?," pans Apple's iCloud service for relying largely on coal-based power. Apple was lumped in with Amazon and Microsoft as companies that Greenpeace claims "rely heavily on dirty energy to power their clouds."



"Instead of playing catch up, Apple has the ingenuity, on-hand cash and innovative spirit to Think Different and make substantial improvements in the type of energy that powers its cloud," the report reads.



Greenpeace ranked Apple poorly in four different categories that the company was graded on, earning a 'D' for transparency, 'F' for infrastructure siting, 'D' for energy efficiency and GHG mitigation, and 'D' for renewable energy investment and advocacy.



The environmental organization also dismissed Apple's 20-megawatt solar array that will help power its server farm in North Carolina. Greenpeace said that although "much has been made" of the solar farm, it will only account for 10 percent of their total power generation for the data center.



Greenpeace views the iCloud data center in Maiden, N.C. as "a good first step," but believes that the company should do more to reduce its reliance on "dirty energy."



"If Apple is really interested in having the 'high percentage' of renewable energy it claims to want for the iCloud, it will have to look beyond the initial steps for on-site generation and use its tremendous cash reserves to invest in or purchase renewable energy and also to put pressure on Duke Energy to provide cleaner energy," the report reads.











Duke Energy is the primary utility company for the western part of North Carolina where Apple's iCloud data center is located. Greenpeace has criticized Duke's reliance on "dirty coal plants" to provide power to facilities like Apple's.



Tuesday's report isn't the first time Greenpeace has called out Apple's data center in North Carolina. A year ago, the organization's "dirty Data" report rated Apple has having the lowest Clean Energy Index and the highest Coal Intensity among companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon.



Apple actually went down in the rankings this year for transparency, as last year the company was given a grade of 'C' in that category by Greenpeace. But this year Apple earned a 'D,' as the environmental group feels that Apple only offers "nuggets of detail and data that it feels are most favorable," while declining to reveal less flattering information.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 111
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    I guess you have to slam them before they Solar and Fuel Cell solutions go on-line, eh?
  • Reply 2 of 111
    cgjcgj Posts: 276member
    Why don't they focus on deforestation in Brazil, instead of publishing a bunch of worthless numbers that no one actually pays attention to?
  • Reply 3 of 111
    tjwaltjwal Posts: 404member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CGJ View Post


    Why don't they focus on deforestation in Brazil, instead of publishing a bunch of worthless numbers that no one actually pays attention to?



    Do you mean the forest that Foxconn cut down to build their ipad assembly plant?

    Sorry couldn't resist.
  • Reply 4 of 111
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Greenpeace should stop crying wolf and praise Apple for all that they are doing.
  • Reply 5 of 111
    Kinda surprised that Dell ranked so high TBH.
  • Reply 6 of 111
    alexmitalexmit Posts: 112member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Greenpeace should stop crying wolf and praise Apple for all that they are doing.



    Supporting Apple or other companies' efforts to go green would probably be more fruitful than slamming them as they publicly make greener efforts. Instead of yelling at them for not going green fast enough, focus on those that are doing the opposite.



    Greenpeace is run by environmentally overzealous fanatics that have clouded visions of impossible grandeur. It is a 'do this now or die' vibe they send out and that is why I refuse to support their efforts.
  • Reply 7 of 111
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    iCloud is newer. It "lags behind? things that have been around longer. This is indeed true, but not surprising. Apple?s obviously building replacements for coal power already, but they?e not done yet. So... what action is Greenpeace seeking beyond that?
  • Reply 8 of 111
    I wonder how Greenpeace will rate Apple's new HQ in Cupertino when it opens?



  • Reply 9 of 111
    mytdavemytdave Posts: 447member
    Boneheads. There is nothing wrong with burning coal to generate power. It is done extremely clean and safely these days. Coal can help provide energy independence for this country - we have tons of it.



    I would like to see the number of coal fired power plants quadruple, and an increase in the production of petroleum by squeezing shale. Greenpeace can kiss my posterior and go crawl back under the rock where they came from.



    Apple should build several more data centers and locate them right smack in the center of coal powered areas of the country (where they're also likely to realize the lowest operational costs).
  • Reply 10 of 111
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by King of Beige View Post


    I wonder how Greenpeace will rate Apple's new HQ in Cupertino when it opens?



    They'll give it an F.



    But they'll give it that before the roof panels are installed.
  • Reply 11 of 111
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Kinda surprised that Dell ranked so high TBH.



    That's just because Dell isn't using much energy. If you're not building anything that anybody wants, it's easy to be green. Sorry. I normally hate snark.
  • Reply 12 of 111
    jukesjukes Posts: 213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Greenpeace should stop crying wolf and praise Apple for all that they are doing.



    I'm pretty sure that that's what the "D" in Renewables & Advocacy is being given for. I expect that Greenpeace's complaint is mostly that, with so much money sitting around, Apple should be doing more than they are.



    That's probably true, but Jobs never seemed to care all that much about these kinds of issue at the corporate level. If "100% recyclable" helped Apple market good looking products, then great. This doesn't really help market the cloud though (yet). Apple will care once consumers care. This is shrewd business and is one of the reasons that they have the pile of cash that Greenpeace is complaining about.
  • Reply 13 of 111
    inklinginkling Posts: 768member
    Greenpeace is clueless about electrical power distribution. Locating close to hydropower may save money, but it has little to do with clean versus dirty. If these allegedly 'clean' hosting sites weren't using that power, it'd be going out over the grid to other areas of the country, displacing coal power. The Pacific NW where I live routinely sends power down to California.



    I suspect Apple's simply locating for reasons other than getting the cheapest electricity. And paying more for that electricity may mean is actually wastes less of it.
  • Reply 14 of 111
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    I wonder how much wasted energy went into creating this report?
  • Reply 15 of 111
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Kinda surprised that Dell ranked so high TBH.



    Why are you surprised? They donate to Greenpeace and Apple doesn't.
  • Reply 16 of 111
    jumperjumper Posts: 34member
    Really, who cares what Greenpeace says. At one time I thought they were doing something important , now they just make these stupid statements with these stupid charts. This group is a waste of everyones time. Go find a real cause to complain about.
  • Reply 17 of 111
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    This is why Apple never should have paid any attention or spent any time responding to previous Greenpeace complaints. Now they think they have power and can somehow influence what Apple has already decided to do. Greenpeace is far more interested in marketing their own brand than anything else, and Apple has given them an avenue to get their name in the news.
  • Reply 18 of 111
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    Greenpeace, shut-up already! No one cares... When the day comes that you are COMPLETELY off the power grid then you can start criticizing everyone else, until then shut-up!







    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    I guess you have to slam them before they Solar and Fuel Cell solutions go on-line, eh?



    Of course then they can claim credit when these projects start-up because their push "made a change".



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Boltsfan17 View Post


    I wonder how much wasted energy went into creating this report?



    Too much. I guess all of these little commies have to figure out some way to spend their trust fund from mommy and daddy...
  • Reply 19 of 111
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jumper View Post


    Really, who cares what Greenpeace says. At one time I thought they were doing something important , now they just make these stupid statements with these stupid charts. This group is a waste of everyones time. Go find a real cause to complain about.



    I never much cared one way or the other. But if they slam Apple, then I hate them.



    How DARE they?
  • Reply 20 of 111
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Inkling View Post


    Greenpeace is clueless about electrical power distribution. Locating close to hydropower may save money, but it has little to do with clean versus dirty. If these allegedly 'clean' hosting sites weren't using that power, it'd be going out over the grid to other areas of the country, displacing coal power. The Pacific NW where I live routinely sends power down to California.



    I suspect Apple's simply locating for reasons other than getting the cheapest electricity. And paying more for that electricity may mean is actually wastes less of it.



    You could have stopped at "Greenpeace is clueless".
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