Guess what iCloud is powered by? It is a huge data center in Maiden, North Carolina that is 500,000 square feet and is about five times the size of the company’s existing Silicon Valley data center. Also, it costed $1 billion to build, which is twice what Google and Microsoft generally invest in their cloud data centers.
A few months after, it was reported that Apple had begun work on a solar farm adjacent to its massive new data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Now, as noted by CNET, Apple has updated its environmental site with updated data for 2011, revealing a few pieces of new information about the company’s work on energy usage and other topics. In addition to revealing a few details about Apple’s new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, the company also notes that the solar farm being built across the data center will be the largest user-owned solar array in the United States, registering at 20 megawatts. Wait a second, I thought Apple didn’t care about the environment and yet they chose to use solar power.
Finally, the company will also be powering the facility with a 5-megawatt fuel cell installation, the largest in the country not owned by a utility company. Additional details are available in the company’s facilities report (PDF).
