Apple agrees to buy solar power from Buffett’s Nevada utility

Apple Inc. agreed to buy the output from a proposed 200-megawatt solar farm in Nevada to help power a data centre in Reno. NV Energy Inc., a Las Vegas-based utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., plans to seek approval for the power-purchase agreement from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, according to a statement Wednesday. Terms weren’t disclosed. Techren Solar LLC is building the project, NV Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Schuricht said in an e-mail. It’s expected to be complete by early 2019. Apple has set a goal of getting all of its power worldwide from renewable sources, and has already reached that goal in 23 countries, according to its website. It’s one of a growing number of large companies, especially technology companies including Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google that have arranged deals to buy clean energy from utilities or developers. "Investing in innovative clean energy sources is vital to Apple’s commitment to reaching, and maintaining, 100 per cent renewable energy across all our operations," Lisa Jackson, vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, said in the statement. (Brian Eckhouse/Bloomberg)