Apple will open its first retail store in Singapore — a store that will be powered solely by solar energy, according to Reuters. To power this store, Apple has partnered with solar energy developer Sunseap Group, which will supply the tech giant with energy generated by solar panels on the rooftops of more than 800 buildings in Singapore.
Under the partnership, Apple can power all of its Singapore operations with renewable energy, making it the first company in Singapore to do so.
Apple has not revealed the store’s location in Singapore or its opening date. The Apple website lists 14 open positions for the Singapore retail store, ranging from store leaders to business managers and technical assistants.
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Sunseap will place rooftop solar panels on both public-owned buildings and Apple’s own facilities, generating 50 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, enough to power the equivalent of 9,000 homes, according to Apple.
Apple will receive 33 MW of the project’s capacity. The project won the backing of Singapore’s development board because it will also provide electricity for public-owned housing, according to Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple.
“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and it’s going to take determination and innovation to make the much needed transition to a green economy,” Jackson said in a statement. “This deal will cover all of our electricity needs in Singapore, including our 2,500-person corporate campus and new retail store. We’re thrilled to be working with Sunseap and the government of Singapore to pioneer new ways to bring solar energy to the country — and bring Apple even closer to our goal of powering our facilities around the world with 100 per cent renewable energy.”
Apple has been powering all its global data centers with renewable energy since 2013. All its U.S. operations run solely on clean energy, and the company is launching a new initiative in China to make its manufacturing processes more energy efficient. Apple will partner with Chinese suppliers to install more than two gigawatts of new clean energy before 2020.
