Apple is working with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to fund research toward ocean energy with a whopping €1 million, or approximately $1,072,662. The fund would commence in 2016 and donate €250,000 every year for four years.
“We’re excited by the potential of ocean energy to someday serve as a source of clean power for the data centre we are building in Athenry, County Galway,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives in SEAI’s press release. “We are deeply committed to powering all our facilities with 100 percent renewable energy and believe investing in innovative projects will make reaching our goal easier.”
The money goes toward testing these ocean energy prototypes, particularly those that can generate energy from ocean waves. Developers who get permission from the SEAI will be able to get to work in the Galway Bay Ocean Energy Test Site.
It seems like a bit of a stretch to one day live in a world where the majority of power is generated from ocean waves, but at least for now Apple sees benefits of using them to hopefully power company facilities. With this move, Apple is expressing its interest in becoming a bit more green for the sake of both the company and the environment — as it has in the past. The more renewable energy sources taken advantage of, the better.
