Apple, eBay, Samsung Austin Semiconductor and Sprint Accelerate Renewable Energy Development

Apple, eBay, Samsung and Sprint today announced a joint agreement to purchase power from a new wind farm owned and developed by Apex Clean Energy. The transaction—spearheaded by Apple, the largest purchaser in the innovative small load energy aggregation—totals approximately 75 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power the equivalent of 20,000 homes.

Shared energy purchases like this allow companies to pool their energy demands and collectively support the addition of large-scale renewable energy projects to the grid. Apple brought together other technology leaders dedicated to responsible business practices – eBay, Samsung and Sprint – in the aggregation agreement, which will enable all participants to access cost-effective low-carbon renewable energy from the new project. 3Degrees facilitated the agreement.

The full 500-MW White Mesa Wind project is expected to come online in 2021 in Crockett County, TX.

“We’re proud to be powering all of Apple’s operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and driving the private sector to support the clean energy transition,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “Businesses of all sizes and of varying energy needs can help bring new, renewable energy online. This collaborative agreement in Texas is a model we hope others will replicate.”

“At eBay, we prioritize operating in the most environmentally and socially sustainable way,” said Wendy Jones, SVP Global Operations, eBay. “This collaboration is not only an important step in advancing our commitment to reaching 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, but it also offers an inclusive approach to collaborate with other companies and lead the way toward a clean energy future.”

“Samsung Austin Semiconductor understands the responsibility of businesses to work together to support environmental sustainability and increase the share of renewable energy in our local markets,” said Gil Heyun Choi, president of Samsung Austin Semiconductor. “We see this agreement as a landmark effort for cutting-edge semiconductor technologies and a demonstration of green manufacturing brought to scale.”

“This project marks another step toward reaching our corporate goal of reducing Sprint’s carbon footprint,” said Chas Peterson, Vice President of Procurement for Sprint. “We are also greening our supply chain by partnering with some of our key suppliers on this innovative shared energy purchase.”

“Enabling corporate aggregation for renewable power purchasing is a key focus of Apex’s and an essential way of engaging more corporate customers in clean energy procurement,” said Mark Goodwin, president and CEO of Apex Clean Energy. “The Apex platform is designed to develop utility-scale wind and solar projects that deliver optimized performance paired with the flexibility that aggregated offtakers need to make these deals feasible. White Mesa Wind is a prime example of the future of corporate clean energy transactions: aggregated power purchasing tailored to each offtaker’s needs.”

“REBA members continue to drive innovation in clean energy procurement,” said Miranda Ballentine, CEO, Renewable Energy Buyer’s Alliance. “By bringing together the buying power of four leading brands, Apple, eBay, Sprint and Samsung, with the professional support of 3Degrees, energy buyers are proving that through the right partnerships these innovative renewable energy projects can come to fruition.”