Is Apple Energy Taking Corporate Social Responsibility to The Next Level?

Apple has been one of the flagship companies when it’s come to the push for green energy. It’s built solar farms in California to power its operations, and it’s invested in hydroelectric power to make sure the Apple Data Center has enough electricity to function indefinitely. However, there’s talk that Apple might be getting deeper into the green energy game.

How much deeper? Well, according to CNBC, Apple has filed documents to create its own energy company, titled Apple Energy LLC.

Selling Energy at Wholesale Prices

The goal, it seems, is to increase the efforts Apple has already made to go green, and to extend those benefits to other businesses and electricity grids. There are even rumors that Apple is planning on getting into the electric car business, and building a network of charging stations which will provide power from Apple’s facilities.

On the one hand, if Apple succeeds it could have huge, wide-ranging impacts on not just the U.S., but the world. With the amount of investment Apple has already made in green energy, and which the company seems determined to continue, it could very well be leading the charge into a fossil fuel free future. On the other hand, it’s important to ask how much of this investment is being made because Apple feels it has a responsibility to take the market in a more responsible direction, and how much is being made because the company expects to reap huge, future rewards from its efforts?

It’s important to remember, though, that corporate social responsibility and making profits aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, if being responsible came with return on investment, it wouldn’t be unusual to see more corporations following in Apple’s footsteps.