After our attempt at explaining the 500% markup on Apple’s new solar array yesterday, further information has now confirmed that Apple’s new stores – starting in the brand new San Francisco location – will be utilizing a new walkable solar glass floor technology for electricity generation. According to a document on Onyx Solar’s website, Apple “has decided to commit itself to OnyxSolar’s designer photovoltaic technology for its new stores. The first of these is located in the heart of San Francisco, the company’s home town.”
Apple, under the guidance of Tim Cook, has been very active in expressing its desire to be environmentally sound. The new Apple Campus and its Spaceship Office is going to be primarily powered by a monstrous 5MW solar power system. The San Francisco office will be 100% renewable powered, with the solar system producing 92,034 kWh/year offsetting 61 tons of CO2.
And of course, Cook famously told investors questioning Apple’s renewable energy investments, “If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock.” Integrating solar power directly into the structure of future Apple Stores would clearly align with Tim Cook’s saying, “We take the same innovative approach to the environment that we do with our products.”
