Cook also announced that Apple had formed a partnership with First Solar to build an $848 million, 1,300-acre solar farm in Monterey County to power its headquarters, data center in Newark, Calif., all Apple offices and 52 Apple stores in California.
The solar farm will result in significant energy cost savings for Apple, Cook said.
"We know at Apple that climate change is real. Our view is that the time for talk is past and the time for action is now," Cook said.
The solar project is part of the California Flats project on Hearst's 73,000-acre Jack Ranch in Monterey County and may be one of the largest ever built for a commercial user. It will add 130 megawatts of new solar power to California, enough to power about 50,000 California homes.
The move toward solar comes as Cook puts his imprint on the company famous for being founded and run by the late Steve Jobs.
The socially conscious Cook has set himself apart from Jobs by focusing on making smart business decisions that are also good for the environment and for the advancement of society.
