Tech giant Apple has announced an expansion of its clean energy projects across Europe with new large-scale solar and wind farms now in development in Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Romania.
Together with a newly operational solar array in Spain, Apple said the projects will add 650 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to electrical grids across Europe in the coming years.
"This will generate over 1 million megawatt-hours of clean electricity on behalf of Apple users by 2030," the company said
Product use, the energy it takes to charge and power Apple devices, accounted for about 29% of the company's overall greenhouse gas emissions in 2024.
"By 2030, we want our users to know that all the energy it takes to charge their iPhone or power their Mac is matched with clean electricity," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.
"Our new projects in Europe will help us achieve our ambitious Apple 2030 goal, while contributing to healthy communities, thriving economies, and secure energy sources across the continent," Ms Jackson said.
Environmental groups have expressed growing concerns about the high energy consumption of the tech sector, particularly when it comes to data centres.
There are more than 80 data centres in Ireland and they consume around 22% of the country's electricity, a figure that is set to rise over the coming years.
In 2018, Apple announced it would not be proceeding with a planned €850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway after protracted legal challenges delayed its start.
