Apple-led group plans 290 MW of renewables in Illinois, Virginia

A group led by US technology behemoth Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has arranged off-take deals for two wind and solar projects totalling 290 MW in Illinois and Virginia, it was announced on Monday.

The Cupertino-based iPhone maker has teamed up with cloud delivery platform Akamai Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:AKAM), e-commerce website operator Etsy Inc (NASDAQ:ETSY) and Zurich-based reinsurance company Swiss Re (SWX:SREN). Together, they will buy 125 MW from a wind farm near Chicago and a further 165 MW from a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant outside Fredericksburg, Virginia. The power will be delivered to the electric grid covered by the PJM wholesale electric market.

Geronimo Energy will be developing the wind project, while sPower will work on the solar scheme. At the same time, 3Degrees will be providing technical assistance to the group of purchasers.

The announcement mentions that this new partnership gives Akamai, Etsy and Swiss Re the chance to use wind and solar power at competitive prices and agreement terms, whilst they previously had limited opportunity to access such resources in the PJM regions.

As unveiled earlier this year, Apple already powers all of its global facilities, including retail stores, offices and co-located facilities, with 100% clean energy.

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