Site powered by renewables scaled in anti-coal protest

Greenpeace activists climbed to the top of Apple’s European headquarters in Cork to protest from the glass rooftop about the company’s sustainable energy policies.

A banner asking “how clean is your cloud?” was unfurled by two protestors who climbed down after an hour when requested to do so by local gardaí.

Cork fire brigade units also attended.

Similar protests were held by Greenpeace at Microsoft and Amazon premises in Turkey and Luxembourg to highlight concern over environmental policies.

About 14 activists gathered around the entrance to the Apple building, distributing mouse pads and leaflets to the Cork-based employees which explained grievances over the company’s use of coal-generated energy at its new cloud data centres.

Apple’s headquarter site in Cork is totally powered by renewable energy.

However, one activist, Niall Soohoo, described the event as “a great success”.

“It was delightful. It wasn’t a bit confrontational. There was a lot of interest in our mouse pads in particular,” he said.

Greenpeace claims that data centres can consume as much electricity as 250,000 European homes. It claimed 55% of Apple’s data centre infrastructure was powered by coal and that two new centres, one being built in North Carolina and another in Oregon, will rely mostly on coal power.

Apple said its centre in North Carolina would draw about 20 megawatts of power at full capacity and ultimately 60% of its energy from on-site renewables.

The Oregon site, due to open next year, will be run 100% on renewables.

Apple also said it buys all its energy for the Cork plant from a renewable supplier.