Earlier this year I described how the Dutch Railwayswere using “alternative logic” to claim that their trains were running on 100% wind power while in reality they were running about 90% on coal and gas-fired electricity from the Dutch grid. But Nederlandse Spoorwegen aren’t the only ones doing it. Other companies use the same alternative logic to show how they too are now 100% renewable even though they aren’t. In this post we review the claims of two of the most prominent ones – Apple and Google, who are making points with the public and the media by declaring themselves to be 96% and 100% renewables-powered even though Apple still obtains well over half of its electricity from non-renewable sources and Google probably over 80%. (Inset: solar array at Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center).
Introduction:
First on my use of the term “alternative logic”. The term “alternative facts” has recently come into vogue to describe facts that aren’t factual, and I use “alternative logic” to describe logic that isn’t logical (although there are other less polite terms I could have used). We will see how illogical shortly.
The path a company has to follow to go 100% renewable is now well-established. What it doesn’t do, except in rare instances, is build renewables plants itself. Instead it negotiates long-term purchase contracts with renewable energy providers and/or purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (in the US) or Guarantees of Origin (in Europe) that transfer ownership of the renewable energy generated by a third party to the company. And as soon as the company has purchased enough generation to cover its in-house consumption it can a) declare itself to be 100% renewable and b) claim zero CO2 emissions.
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