Apple confirmed on Tuesday that it plans to build a second data center in Prineville, Oregon. The Cupertino-based company will build the server farm on a 160-acre piece of land it purchased for $5.6 million, reports KTVZ News. “We purchased the land and it’s for a data center,â€� Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. The new facility will be very close to a data center Facebook opened last year. Crook County Judge Mike McCabe revealed that the social networking site “kind of helped recruit” Apple to Crook County and allowed the company’s representatives to tour its facility last summer. On Monday, Apple revealed its data center located in North Carolina was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only data center of its size to have received the certification.

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Apple on Monday updated the company’s environmental website with data from the past year, revealing new details surrounding its iCloud and Siri data center located in Maiden, North Carolina. Apple’s facility was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only data center of its size to have received the certification. “We know of no other data center of comparable size that has achieved this level of LEED certification,” Apple stated. “Our goal is to run the Maiden facility with high percentage renewable energy mix.” Apple plans to power the facility with the largest non-utility fuel cell installation and largest user-owned solar farm in the United States. Due to the increasing popularity of its products, the Cupertino-based company has seen its greenhouse gas emissions increase by 56% from 14.8 million metric tons in 2010 to 23.1 million metric tons in 2011. Apple points out that greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue have decreased by 15.4% since 2008, however.

[Via MacRumors]

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NASA's green supersonic dart, courtesy a design team at Lockheed Martin, isn't all conceptual looks and aggressive lines, as there's an environmental angle—pardon the pun—that's present here too: More »

NASA - Space - Technology - Education - Lockheed Martin