Microsoft vs. Apple Still Making Headlines — in Renewable Energy

New Hampshire, USA -- Microsoft vs. Apple wars have played out in the electronics industry for decades. That bitter competitive landscape, though, has changed significantly in this digital age with Apple's iUbiquity.

But they're still visibly competitive in another arena: both are among the top users of renewable energy according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And in the past few days they've been trading headlines again.

Microsoft Buys Into Wind Power for Data Center Ops

Microsoft buys more than 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy credits (RECs) annually, according to the EPA, and last year the computer giant pledged to become carbon-neutral. Part of that is reducing energy consumption in facilities and data centers — and powering them with renewable energy.

To that end, yesterday Microsoft announced its first long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), a 20-year contract to buy all the energy produced from RES Americas' 110-MW Keechi Wind project northwest of Fort Worth, Texas to be built next year and operational in 2015. That energy will go into the grid to help power the company's data center in nearby San Antonio, which already uses recycled wastewater for cooling. "We have a long-standing ambition to move in the direction of sourcing more clean energy as a company," stated Rob Bernard, Microsoft's chief environmental strategist, and "this is an opportunity to go to the next stage and invest directly in green energy."

Microsoft's demonstrating its support for renewable energy at other U.S. facilities as well. Its Silicon Valley campus has a solar power system that offsets 15 percent of its energy needs, a data center in Quincy, Washington gets 83 percent of its electricity from local hydropower, and another data center being built in Wyoming will house fuel cells powered by biogas from a nearby water treatment plant to be completely "zero-carbon."

Of course this isn't the first data center to embrace renewable energy. Naturally, Apple has been doing it for a while, too. And so has Google.

Apple Antes Up for Ex-First Solar Plant

Meanwhile, Apple is making a splash on another front, reportedly ponying up more than $500 million in a new supply deal for a key supplier. GT Advanced Technologies revealed yesterday that it's entered into a multi-year supply agreement with Apple to provide sapphire material, which is used to make the tougher, scratch-resistant camera lens on newer iPhones (and perhaps eventually the entire screen surface in the future, but that's still up for debate). The deal apparently involves production out of a "new" manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, to employ anywhere from 700 to 1,300 workers and an "investment in renewable energy," according to Gov. Jan Brewer.

Technically, though, it isn't a brand-new facility — it's First Solar's former plant, which the company built out but never used and then sold off last month on the cheap. The site includes a 3.3-MW (AC) rooftop PV array; reports indicate the plant will be entirely powered by renewable energy, through both solar and possibly geothermal. Apple and GT confirmed the news but wouldn't offer details about the site itself or plans to expand the solar power generation; nor would the utility they're working with, Salt River Project.

It's worth noting that on the EPA's renewable-energy radar both Microsoft and Apple trail well behind Intel, which buys 3.1 billion kWh annually in RECs sourced from wind, solar, geothermal, low impact hydro, and biomass, as well as a small amount of on-site solar (7 MW and growing). Google, meanwhile, hasn't been on the EPA's lists since mid-2012.

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Making technology and renewable energy world name woman of the year finalists

Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Nashua, n.h., - the power - Gen 2013 women in power Committee is pleased the finalists for the first power-Gen woman of the year.

The finalists were from names of members of the community is selected and represent different facets of the industry.

The finalists are Ria Persad, founder and President of StatWeather, which provides for probabilistic weather forecast tools weather risk management for the energy industry; Jane Weissman, President and CEO of the Interstate renewable energy company, a non-profit organization that has worked, to the use of renewable energies since 1982 to accelerate; and Patty West with the Tennessee Valley Authority, a US-Government company, which provides electricity for 9 million people.

The women of the year were nominated in four categories with the most weight given to how they power generation advanced judged. In addition to promoting the energy industry as a judge the effect, that the candidates on their communities, their ability to lead and their success in mentoring others considered.

To encourage more women to enter of the energy industry, PennWell Corporation and female pioneers decided to recognize in energy technology, how this distributed power-Gen 2013 women of the year finalists. "If the achievements of the early adapter not recognized the growth of women in power could be endangered,", said Rich Baker, Senior Vice President with PennWell.

While these finalists both represent conventional and regenerative energy and each one works in a different facet of the energy industry (finance, policy, technology, respectively), a thread running through all of them is their commitment to promoting and improving the energy industry in North America. Every woman has devoted her life in the traditionally male-dominated field of energy, and issued every woman has to make determination where it is today. Estimates the proportion of women in the industry working, but in General, the number of moves to a 1:4 female share. And how you the series climbing, the percentage of women in leadership positions is small.

"We hope that these women as examples for young women considering career makes that amazing benefits can be achieved through hard work and dedication," said Jennifer Runyon, chairwoman of the women in the power Committee.

These three finalists will 2013-Power-Gen woman of the year at the annual awards banquet on Monday, November 11, at the Hard Rock Live at the universal resort in Orlando, Florida as part of the POWER-GEN International Conference and exhibition and co-located NUCLEAR POWER International Conference and exhibition, Renewable Energy World Conference & exhibition, North America, and the financial Forum named.

2013 The women power lunch will be during the 14th November at the Orange County Convention Center, also within the framework of the co-located conferences a keynote speech Power-Gen woman of the year on Thursday.

Registered participants of the conferences can attend either or both the feast and the lunch by buying tickets to the events. More information by visiting the Conference Web site: POWER-GEN International Conference and exhibition. which nuclear power International Conference and exhibition, Renewable Energy World Conference & exhibition, North America and the financial Forum.

Power engineering magazine is the voice of the generation energy. More than 70,000 power generation professionals read power engineering magazine for expert coverage of important news and current trends in the industry.

RenewableEnergyWorld.com is the site for renewable energy World magazine. With 190,000 registered users, more than 52,000 magazine subscribers and a global readership in 174 countries, the number is 1-renewable energy network for news and information, and the largest source of information for renewable energy.

Magazines, RenewableEnergyWorld.com, POWER-GEN international, NUCLEAR POWER international, Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America and the Forum, are all by PennWell Corp., a global media company headquartered in Tulsa, Okla.

The 2013 Power-Gen women in power Committee

Jennifer Runyon, PennWell Corporation

Karin Corfee, Navigant

Christina M. Swanson, GE

Mary Ann Bunn, Siemens Energy, Inc.

Linda Church Ciocci, national hydropower Association

Heather Manypenny, New Hampshire electric cooperative, Inc.

Bonnie Marini, Siemens Energy, Inc.

Meg Cichon, PennWell Corporation

Daryl Zeis, REC solar

Mary Noyes Joynt, WilkinsonShein communications

Elizabeth Ingram, PennWell Corporation

Lola Infante, generation fuels and market analysis

Heather Manganiello, project manager, HDR

MaryJo Rogers, strategic talent solutions

Henrietta Gurri McBee, HDR

Paula mints, SPV - market research

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