Apple signs deal with wind turbine maker Goldwind to bring clean power to suppliers

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Apple has entered into a joint venture with wind turbine maker Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology -- better known as Goldwind -- that should help bring more clean energy to its Chinese suppliers.




A subsidiary of Goldwind, Beijing Tianrun New Energy Investment, is transferring its 30 percent stakes in four project firms to Apple, according to a Hong Kong stock exchange filing seen by the South China Morning Post. The document didn't disclose what Apple's contribution will be, but while the project firms will stay subsidiaries under Goldwind for stock exchange purposes, they won't be consolidated in the company's financial statements, since key decisions will require unanimous approval by the firms' directors.

The Post didn't indicate which Apple suppliers would benefit from the arrangement, or how much power Apple is hoping to supply. Recently, however, Lens Technology said it would fully power its glass production with renewable sources by the end of 2018, doing so partly through wind farms in Hunan province.

To date, Apple's efforts at compensating for the dirty, non-sustainable power its suppliers often depend on have revolved around solar. The company is building out 200 megawatts of solar farms to offset its suppliers' impact, and working with them directly to install over 4 gigawatts of clean energy worldwide, half of that in China. Foxconn -- Apple's main manufacturing partner -- will be constructing 400 megawatts of solar to compensate for its iPhone facility in Zhengzhou.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    This is great news. If everything we consumed - from phones to steel in buildings - was manufactured in our own countries, we'd be a lot more vocal about sustainable production. Instead, the Chinese population has to put up with our pollution. Good to see Apple taking steps to right some of our wrongs
    Roger_Fingascalibadmonkjony0
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  • Reply 2 of 12
    MacPromacpro Posts: 19,873member
    Doesn't Tim know the new administration will be banning wind?  ;)
    lordjohnwhorfinapple jockeybadmonkjony0
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  • Reply 3 of 12
    Cue the Tim haters. "What is the left-wing tree-hugger doing? Doesn't he know that the only job of a CEO is to make money for shareholders whether the earth is despoiled in the process or not? This just proves that climate change is a Chinese plot to get us to support their green energy businesses."
    Roger_Fingasai46caliapple jockeybadmonkjony0
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  • Reply 4 of 12
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Cue the Tim haters. "What is the left-wing tree-hugger doing? Doesn't he know that the only job of a CEO is to make money for shareholders whether the earth is despoiled in the process or not? This just proves that climate change is a Chinese plot to get us to support their green energy businesses."
    Tim Cook will be responsible for thousands of bird deaths now. 
    SpamSandwichnottylerdurdencaliwatto_cobrajony0
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  • Reply 5 of 12
    Does nimby-ism exist with wind too?

    - mining for metals & rare earth minerals for the magnets

    - energy needed to fabricate, transport, install, maintain and ultimately dispose of the turbines

    - visual and physical transformations of the natural world

    - low frequency (including inaudible) sound effects still under study

    Wind is indeed renewable, and arguably cleaner, but can we call it clean ?

    edited December 2016
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  • Reply 6 of 12
    This is a China-only project.
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  • Reply 7 of 12
    Doesn't Tim know the new administration will be banning wind?  ;)
    Yes in favour of (cough-cough) 'Clean Coal'.
    The new leader of the USA will soon tweet,

    "Apple must use energy from Clean Coal to make iPhones in the USA. Make America great again'


    cali
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  • Reply 8 of 12
    Doesn't Tim know the new administration will be banning wind?  ;)
    Except, of course, the hot wind coming from MangoMussolini.
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  • Reply 9 of 12
    Doesn't Tim know the new administration will be banning wind?  ;)
    They'll use the oppositions rhetoric based wind instead... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at its finest.

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  • Reply 10 of 12
    Does nimby-ism exist with wind too?

    - mining for metals & rare earth minerals for the magnets

    - energy needed to fabricate, transport, install, maintain and ultimately dispose of the turbines

    - visual and physical transformations of the natural world

    - low frequency (including inaudible) sound effects still under study

    Wind is indeed renewable, and arguably cleaner, but can we call it clean ?

    Reasonable point, but next generation turbines will continue to address these real problems with dampening, technology, placement and insulation. I am hopeful these real problems can be mostly solved.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 12
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,699member
    Does nimby-ism exist with wind too?

    - mining for metals & rare earth minerals for the magnets

    - energy needed to fabricate, transport, install, maintain and ultimately dispose of the turbines

    - visual and physical transformations of the natural world

    - low frequency (including inaudible) sound effects still under study

    Wind is indeed renewable, and arguably cleaner, but can we call it clean ?


    Not a real argument as everything mentioned above is also required to build equipment for mining and transporting resources from nature.

    The "clean and renewable" applies to the production of energy, not the production of the equipment to harness the energy - as there is absolutely no method of harnessing energy that doesn't require some form of man made equipment.
    badmonk
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  • Reply 12 of 12
    A subsidiary of Goldwind, Beijing Tianrun New Energy Investment, is transferring its 30 percent stakes in four project firms to Apple,

    Does this mean that Apple will be the owner of 30% of these companies and hence own assets in China?
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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