Apple buys hydroelectric green energy project near Oregon data center
Apple is expanding its use of clean energy to power its iCloud data centers, with the company's Prineville, Ore., facility now flanked by a small hydroelectric project acquired by the iPhone maker.
The company's new purchase was revealed on Saturday by The Oregonian, which noted that initial proposals for the project indicated it would generate between 3 and 5 megawatts --?enough to power 2,000 to 3,500 homes, but still only a tiny amount of the power Apple will need to run the facility
The 45-mile project is located near Haystack Reservoir in a Jefferson County irrigation canal about 20 miles from Prineville. The price Apple paid for the project is unknown, but the previous owner, EBD Hydro, reportedly secured some $8.5 million in federal loans and grants to help finance it.
Apple's Oregon data center already utilizes wind energy, as does its California center. Apple also relies on the largest privately owned solar farm in the country for its Maiden, N.C., operation, while its upcoming Nevada center will utilize solar and geothermal energy.
Apple began construction of the Prineville facility in October of 2012, clearing and flattening the land where the two 338,000 square-foot buildings would eventually stand. Land preparation and construction are thought to have cost Apple around $68 million. Including server hardware, construction costs, and labor costs, the facility is expected to cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars -- perhaps billions.
And last September, it was revealed that Apple was looking to double the size of its Oregon data center, as the company was looking to purchase more land at a nearby location that would house a second structure of equal size. Apple is also paying some $150,000 each year to the governments of Prineville and Crook County in return for a 15-year property tax exemption.
The company's new purchase was revealed on Saturday by The Oregonian, which noted that initial proposals for the project indicated it would generate between 3 and 5 megawatts --?enough to power 2,000 to 3,500 homes, but still only a tiny amount of the power Apple will need to run the facility
The 45-mile project is located near Haystack Reservoir in a Jefferson County irrigation canal about 20 miles from Prineville. The price Apple paid for the project is unknown, but the previous owner, EBD Hydro, reportedly secured some $8.5 million in federal loans and grants to help finance it.
Apple's Oregon data center already utilizes wind energy, as does its California center. Apple also relies on the largest privately owned solar farm in the country for its Maiden, N.C., operation, while its upcoming Nevada center will utilize solar and geothermal energy.
Apple began construction of the Prineville facility in October of 2012, clearing and flattening the land where the two 338,000 square-foot buildings would eventually stand. Land preparation and construction are thought to have cost Apple around $68 million. Including server hardware, construction costs, and labor costs, the facility is expected to cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars -- perhaps billions.
And last September, it was revealed that Apple was looking to double the size of its Oregon data center, as the company was looking to purchase more land at a nearby location that would house a second structure of equal size. Apple is also paying some $150,000 each year to the governments of Prineville and Crook County in return for a 15-year property tax exemption.
Comments
I thought hydro power was generally not considered green energy, because damming rivers is bad for the wildlife. Or something.
I thought hydro power was generally not considered green energy, because damming rivers is bad for the wildlife. Or something.
Nah, that only applies to cattle ranchers ruining it for a turtle. Or something.
When it comes to "Green", let's just hope this purchase is better for Apple then Solyndra was for the taxpayer!
Good for Apple, this isn't their first green purchase or project and it won't be their last.
Remind me again, when did we last hear about Google/Samsung/Facebook buying something that wasn't just to increase profits.
Comparing large hydro to small hydro is like comparing Samsung to Apple.
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Could be that the hidden side is really really huge.
Read the blogs that will hit the wire Sunday. Apple has just stepped its "toe" into the energy business.
I thought hydro power was generally not considered green energy, because damming rivers is bad for the wildlife. Or something.
If that's the criteria, then I guess that wind power is bad too, because it kills plenty of birds, eagles, bats etc.
And solar power melts birds.
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I thought hydro power was generally not considered green energy, because damming rivers is bad for the wildlife. Or something.
If that's the criteria, then I guess that wind power is bad too, because it kills plenty of birds, eagles, bats etc.
In California, large hydro (>30 MW) is not considered "renewable" or green. Small hydro is.
To put that in perspective:
Hoover dam hydro plant produces 2080 megawatts
Niagara (at the falls) produces 4400 megawatts
Bear in mind it only produces 3-5 megawatts.
Yes, but 3 MW, after you account for air conditioning and stuff, is still maybe 4,500 servers.
Not even a dam. Looks like they just route the water into a pipe and send it down a really big hill with the generator at the bottom to create power from the high speed water. You only need to dam water if you want to insure generation capacity. That also allows you to control the amount of power generated. You can release more water when you need more power.
That's exactly what he is doing. (minus the hyperbole of "we're all going to die unless he saves us") Apple's green energy efforts haven't exactly been a secret.
Apart from the initial cost of buying / building the site and equipment. Datacenter is just all about cooling and Server usage which equals to electricity usage. Apple can afford to throw some money in it for renewable electricity. Other then small maintenance fees Apple basically gets to run its Datacenter for free.
Which comes to think about it. The reason why Apple has been relatively slow in its DC expansion, is purely because they need to buy its ways into Renewable electricity generation. And location and planning complicate the matter a lot.