Apple working with suppliers to install 4 gigawatts of new clean energy

Apple published its 2016 Environmental Responsibility Report earlier this week. In it, the company discusses its environmental responsibility, climate change, renewable energy and more. And, speaking of clean energy, the company said that it plans to work with its partners and suppliers to “install more than 4 gigawatts of new clean energy worldwide.”

Apple has already been working in this direction and, in 2015, said that “93 percent of [its] energy came from renewable sources.” One example was a 32-megawatt installation in Singapore, where there are solar panels on “more than 800 rooftops.”

It’s these sorts of projects that Apple plans to continue to build around the globe – especially in places like China where clean energy isn’t as much of a priority for the industry. That’s where Apple says it is already building 170 megawatts of solar power, kick-starting its goal to install more than 2 gigawatts of new clean energy in China by 2020.

That’s just 4 years from now, which means the company is making quick work toward its goal. This stuff might seem intangible, too, like some “green energy” that you never touch. But you actually interact with it every day, whether you know it or not. Apple says that 100 percent of its data centers, the places that power Siri when you’re wondering what the score of the basketball game is, are already running on clean energy.

So, next time you use Siri, maybe you’ll know a bit more about where the energy that powers it is coming from.