Apple to construct huge onshore wind turbines for Danish data centre

Apple has announced it will invest in the construction of two of the world’s largest onshore wind turbines located near the Danish town of Esbjerg to provide clean and renewable energy to its data centre in Denmark.

The 200m-tall turbines are expected to produce 62 gigawatt hours each year — enough to power almost 20,000 homes — and will act as a test site for powerful offshore wind turbines, said a statement from the tech giant. The power produced will support Apple’s data centre in the Danish town of Viborg, bringing its supply chain and products one step closer to carbon neutrality, while all surplus energy will go into the grid of the Nordic country.

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said: “Combatting climate change demands urgent action and global partnership — and the Viborg data centre is powerful proof that we can rise to this generational challenge. Investments in clean energy deliver breakthrough innovations that bring clean energy and good jobs to businesses and local communities. This is an area where we have to lead — for the sake of our planet and future generations.”

Apple’s data centre in Viborg, a 45,000sqm facility offering network support and data storage to its users across the region, helps power Apple’s App Store, Apple Music, iMessage, Siri, and other services in Europe that are run entirely on renewable energy from local projects. The Viborg facility already runs on 100% renewable energy after the completion of a solar project in northern Jutland, one of Denmark’s largest solar parks.

The Esbjerg wind project is also part of Apple’s aim of going carbon neutral across its entire business and supply chain within 2030. Apple is developing the wind project in partnership with European Energy.