Apple will spend €1,7bn (about R22,6bn) on two new data centres in Europe that will be powered entirely from renewable energy sources.

The data centres – in Ireland and Denmark – will serve Apple customers across Europe, and presumably further afield, too.

The facilities, located in County Galway, Ireland, and Denmark’s central Jutland, will have the “lowest environmental impact yet for an Apple data centre”.

Apple said it will work with partners to develop additional renewable energy projects from wind and other sources to provide power in the future.

The data centres will be 166 000sq m each and will begin operating in 2017.

For the project in Ireland, Apple will recover land previously used for growing and harvesting non-native trees and restore native trees to the nearby Derrydonnell Forest. The project will also provide an outdoor education space for local schools as well as a walking trail.

In Denmark, Apple will eliminate the need for additional generators by locating the data centre next to one of the country’s largest electrical substations. The facility is also designed to capture excess heat from equipment and conduct it into the district heating system to help warm homes in the area. — (c) 2015 NewsCentral Media