“Apple is proud that for nearly three years we’ve powered all of our worldwide operations with 100 percent renewable energy,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. “In the process, we’ve charted a course for other companies and organizations to bring clean energy projects to communities around the world and help combat climate change.”

The company noted that construction of the Apple Reno Turquoise Solar Farm project began in November 2019 and created 236 clean energy construction jobs, with more than 90 percent filled by Nevada residents. It also represented a more than $60 million investment in Washoe County.

The $60 million solar farm has a capacity of 61 megawatts of direct current, which is being used to provide energy to Apple’s sprawling data center campus at Reno Technology Park. 
The Turquoise Solar Project inside Apple's data center campus at Reno Technology Park.

Apple, whose Reno Technology Park campus spans 1.1 million square feet, has continued to expand operations within 2,200 acres just east of the city. The Turquoise project accounts for about 180 acres.
The tech giant announced the news in conjunction with partner Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company (GREC), the utility-scale renewable energy development company that owns Turquoise Solar.

“Turquoise … is very highly regarded in the solar power industry,” Charles Wheeler, CEO of GREC, said in a press release. “Completing it has been a huge accomplishment and is the product of a tremendous collaborative effort between the parties involved.

“… Despite an extremely challenging year across the country, 2020 was a year of growth for us, as we continued to bring amazing new wind and solar projects like this one online. During the year, our total investment income increased by 60% reflecting the strong growth we’ve achieved thanks to projects like Turquoise.”
The Turquoise solar farm proved to be particularly challenging to build due to the site’s steep slopes and rocky terrain. Apple, however, continued to push forward and invest in its Reno Technology Park project. In a surprise visit to Reno in 2018, CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple was adding $1 billion to its initial $1.6 billion investment on the site. 

“We’re excited to have the Turquoise Solar Project bringing new renewable energy to Nevada.”