Photos: How Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft data centers are using clean energy

Apple's data centers powered 100% by renewable energy

Last year, Apple said its data centers are now 100 percent powered by renewable energy. That's a 114 percent increase since 2010.

Image: Apple

Apple's renewable energy-powered data centers

Apple's data center in Maiden, North Carolina is LEED Platinum certified. The onsite solar photovoltaic array, which is 100 acres, has an annual  production capacity of 42 million kWh of clean energy. 

Image: Apple

Apple's data center design

Apple's Maiden, North Carolina data center is a model of energy efficiency. In October 2013, they opened a second photovoltaic facility on nearby land and built a fuel-cell installation, which uses directed biogas, that is the largest non-utility installation in the country. The power sources are connected to the local energy grid and produce enough energy to power 13,600 homes a year. 

Image: Apple

Bloom Energy supplying fuel cells to Apple

In 2012, Apple announced that California-based Bloom Energy would provide the solid oxide fuel cells for its data center in North Carolina. Bloom Energy also supplies fuel cells to eBay, AT&T, Adobe, and Google. 

Image: Bloom Energy

Facebook's data center in Iceland

Facebook has 45 acres in Keflavik, Iceland to build out data centers. Iceland is a great location for these centers because of its low energy costs, cold temperatures for cooling, and high performance connections to the U.S. and Europe. 

Image: ZDNet

Facebook's data center in Sweden

In June of last year, Facebook announced a new data center in the Arctic Circle. Cooling costs are far lower, and the internet connection is extremely fast in this part of Sweden. It also uses hydroelectricity from a nearby river. 

Image: Facebook

Microsoft's wind energy plan

Late last year, Microsoft announced its Keechi wind project. The company bought 110 megawatts of energy from a wind farm near Fort Worth, Texas to power its San Antonio data center with clean energy. 

Microsoft's energy-smart buildings

Microsoft is studying how to use IT to reduce environmental impacts in their buildings and data centers instead of retrofitting outdated systems. According to the EPA, Microsoft is purchasing enough green power to meet 80 percent of their electricity use in the U.S. 

Image: Microsoft

Google's Mountain View campus

Google has made 15 solar and wind investments, totaling more than $1 billion. That means 34 percent of the company's operations are powered by renewable energy. 

Image: Wikipedia

Google's wind farms

Google has invested greatly in wind farms. To date, the company has signed six contracts for more than 630 MW of energy, which is enough to power 210,000 U.S. homes. 

Image: Google

Google's rainwater retention pond in South Carolina

At the Berkeley County, South Carolina data center, Google is experimenting with a rainwater retention pond to cool the systems. 

Image: Google

Google's water cooling system in Taiwan

When temperatures are cooler at night, the water in these pipes cools off and is stored in special tanks. During the day, the water is pumped through the facilities to cool the servers. 

Image: Google