Apple inks JV with CleanMax for 6 rooftop solar projects with 14.4 MW capacity

“To address its growing corporate operations in India, Apple has also embarked on a joint venture with leading renewable developer CleanMax to invest in a portfolio of six rooftop solar projects with a total size of 14.4 megawatts,” Apple said in a statement on Wednesday.

The added capacity provides a local solution to power Apple’s offices, its two retail stores in the country, and other operations in India.

According to a Moneycontrol report, Kuldeep Jain, managing director of CleanMax, on the new venture said, “CleanMax is proud of its joint venture with Apple. Our mission is to be sustainability partner to corporates, and we consider this JV to be a big milestone in our journey. It showcases an industry-leading approach to the creation of green energy assets. The growing interest from other consumer brands in such joint ventures is a positive sign of the shift towards sustainability.”

Apple first achieved 100 percent renewable energy for its global corporate operations in 2018.

In an announcement, the company unveiled its plans to make new progress in clean energy expansion around the world and advance momentum toward Apple 2030, the company’s bold goal to be carbon neutral across its entire value chain by the end of this decade.

“More than 18 gigawatts of clean electricity now power Apple’s global operations and manufacturing supply chain, more than triple the amount in 2020,” Apple said.

Apple is making new investments in solar power in the U.S. and Europe to help address the electricity customers use to charge and power their Apple devices.

As part of its broader environmental efforts, Apple also advanced progress toward another ambitious 2030 goal: to replenish 100 percent of the freshwater used in corporate operations in high-stress locations, the iPhone maker said.

Since water impacts are felt locally, Apple has initiated freshwater replenishment work in some of the highest-stress locations where the company operates in India — the states of Telangana and Maharashtra.

Similar initiatives have been launched in Northern and Southern California, Arizona’s Colorado River Basin.

The project has been modelled after the company’s approach to renewable energy procurement, Apple is pursuing innovative strategies and long-term contracts aimed at delivering water benefits and savings across entire watersheds.

“Since 2023, Apple has so far committed over $8 million to replenish fresh water in high-stress watersheds,” the statement said.

The projects, encompassing regions worldwide where Apple operates, announced today are expected to deliver a combined 6.9 billion gallons of water benefits over the next two decades, it added.