Facebook to use 100% Renewable Energy by 2020

You don’t have to feel quite so bad about wasting the day on Facebook – the social media behemoth has committed to powering all its offices with 100% renewable energy by 2020, starting with a solar-powered data center in Huntsville, Ala.

The data center will draw its power from two separate locations. First Solar Inc. will provide 227 megawatts via a brand-new solar installation in in Colbert County, Ala, while NextEra Energy Inc. will supply 150 megawatts with a new facility in Lincoln County, Tenn.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) brokered the agreement.

“TVA's commitment to the environment and our diverse portfolio are among the top reasons why businesses choose to relocate to the Valley," said John Bradley, TVA's senior vice president of Economic Development. "TVA's ability to deliver large amounts of renewable, reliable energy at competitive rates makes the Valley an attractive place to do business.”

And in case you were wondering, Greenpeace is tickled pink.

"CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reaffirmed Facebook's place among business leaders in the race to be coal-free and 100 percent renewable-powered," noted Gary Cook, senior corporate campaigner at the ubiquitous environmental NGO.

This sorta makes up for the trillions of dollars in lost productivity, right?

Read more here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-02/facebook-alabama-data-center-to-get-power-from-two-solar-farms