Clean Energy Charging is not a conspiracy to reduce the speed or efficiency of charging when you plug in your iPhone. It is a harbinger of how most future electronics will consume power.
Announced with iOS 16 and introduced in the US last fall, Clean Energy Charging selectively charges your device when lower carbon-emission electricity is available. In some regions, this might be during the daytime when solar and renewable energy production peak, but in most cases, it will be at night.
To support the feature, your iPhone gets a forecast of carbon emissions on your local energy grid. It then charges the device when the cleanest energy is available.
The effect is to reduce demand at peak times, and to increase use of renewable energy at those times when it is available, or demand is low. It matters because 22% of Apple’s gross carbon footprint is generated from device charging.
When your iPhone is connected to power, it will recharge. If enabled, Clean Energy Charging may suspend charging until the cleanest energy is available. When it does, it will share a Lock Screen Notification that lets you know what’s happening and when to expect your device to be fully charged.
If you want to fill it with energy more swiftly, just touch and hold that notification and tap Charge Now when it appears. You can also switch the feature off, but at least some of the time an iPhone user may choose to take Clean Energy Charging’s advice, which means using lower carbon-emission energy.
This is how it works:
- Clean Energy Charging is only available in the US where it is enabled by default on your iPhone after updating to iOS 16.1.
- You can turn it off in Settings>Battery>Battery Health & Charging where you’ll find a toggle for Clean Energy Charging.
- The feature works best with Optimized Battery Charging, as this learns your charging habits to the extent that the cleaner energy component only activates at times and places during which you usually charge your iPhone. For example, if you usually charge your device overnight, the actual charge will take place at the optimal time for clean energy.
- As well as switching on Clean Energy Charging, you also need to enable three specific Privacy & Security settings on your device: Location Services and System Services>System Customization along with System Services>Significant Locations.
- You can also override the feature, or switch it off entirely using the Clean Energy Charging toggle in Battery Health (above).
Clean Energy Charging does not take over your device. It inherently gives you choice; the difference is that your choice is informed.
Want to charge immediately? You can. Happy to wait for a greener choice? That’s an option. Want to benefit the world with an informed choice? Do so.
Clean Energy Charging is…