Apple announced that over 110 of its manufacturing partners worldwide are moving to 100% renewable energy. The move would mobilize nearly 8 GW of clean energy to come online.

These commitments will avoid over 15 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually — the equivalent of taking more than 3.4 million cars off the road each year.

Apple is also investing directly in renewable energy projects to cover a portion of upstream emissions and a major energy storage project in California to pilot new solutions for renewable infrastructure.

“We are firmly committed to helping our suppliers become carbon neutral by 2030 and are thrilled that companies who’ve joined us span industries and countries around the world, including Germany, China, the US, India, and France,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.

Last July, the company unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. Since that announcement, Apple has significantly increased the number of its suppliers transitioning to renewable energy.

Apple is already carbon neutral for its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have a net-zero climate impact. The company recently shared new details about its $4.7 billion spend in Green Bonds to support environmental projects worldwide.

Supplier Commitments and Global Energy Projects

Apple connects suppliers with opportunities to buy renewable energy directly from project developers and utilities as those models emerge worldwide.

In Europe, DSM Engineering Materials’ wind power purchase agreement is bringing new clean energy to the grid in the Netherlands, and STMicroelectronics’s solar carport in Morocco is supporting regional energy production.

Companies like Solvay are now expanding their use of renewable energy to their broader operations after joining Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Programme five years ago. Alpha and Omega Semiconductor, Marian, The Chemours Company, and Trinseo all recently committed to the US program. And, in China, 15 suppliers have joined Apple’s program since July 2020.

In many markets where the company operates, suppliers have limited options to access clean energy. To break down that barrier, Apple created the China Clean Energy Fund, enabling Apple and its suppliers to invest in clean energy projects totaling more than 1 GW of renewable energy in China.

Energy Storage and 2030 Progress

Apple is constructing one of the largest battery projects in the country, California Flats — an industry-leading, grid-scale energy storage project capable of storing 240 MWh of energy, enough to power over 7,000 homes for one day. The project supports the company’s 130 MW solar farm that provides all of its renewable energy in California by storing excess energy generated during the day and deploying it when needed.

Apple is investing in utility-scale storage in California and research into new energy storage technologies, even as it builds upon distributed storage capabilities in Santa Clara Valley and through Apple Park’s microgrid.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) latest report, ‘Solar Means Business,’ which tracks U.S. solar installations that support commercial activities, Apple remained at the top spot for the second year in a row, with 398.3 MW (on-site and off-site) of solar installed.