Apple Inc to Build Landfill-Gas-to-Energy Plant to Power its NC Data Center

Date: June 10, 2016

Source: Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA) has signed a signed a 16-year lease agreement with Catawba County, NC that will let it build a landfill gas-to-energy plant to power its nearby data center. In a related agreement the county agreed to sell about 40 percent of its landfill methane to Quadrogen Power Systems, which will treat the gas for use at Apple's facility. Beginning a few years ago, Apple developed plans to power its North Carolina data center using fuel cells running on landfill gas. It is part of an ambitious plan to operate using 80 percent on-site renewable energy.

Fuel cells offer the advantage of converting biogas or natural gas to power more efficiently than combustion, without significant air emissions and with fewer moving parts. In this case, they will be using a renewable energy source and will not be dependent on the often unreliable energy grid. Data centers require a consistent and very reliable power supply.

See also: "Apple Doubles Fuel Cell from Waste to Power Data Center," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20121205C.htm), December 4, 2012.

See also: "Microsoft Wants Future Data Centers to Run on Landfill Gas," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20120425B.htm), April 23, 2012.

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