E-commerce giant Amazon announced 26 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects totaling 3.4 GW of electricity production capacity, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity.
Amazon claims these new projects will make Amazon the largest-ever corporate purchaser of renewable energy along with the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year.
According to Miranda Ballentine, CEO of Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), “The U.S.-based projects alone make Amazon’s announcement 270% larger than the largest corporate procurement announcement from a single off-taker to date, and showcase the company’s leadership and commitment to a clean and prosperous energy future.”
“Procuring more than 4,000 MW of new renewable power in a single year is an incredible achievement, and it marks big progress toward Amazon’s goal of being powered by 100% renewable power,” said Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. The pledge now has 31 signatories, including Unilever, Verizon, Siemens, Microsoft, and Best Buy.
Last year, Amazon also announced that it aims to make 50% of all of its shipments with net-zero carbon by 2030. The company plans on achieving this goal by leveraging renewable energy, biofuels, and reusable packaging. The company calls this initiative “Shipment Zero.”
To reach its goal, Amazon will continue to reduce emissions across its operations by establishing a path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy, five years ahead of the company’s initial target of 2030.
Amazon has now invested in 6.5 GW of wind and solar projects that will enable the company to supply its operations with more than 18 million MWh of renewable energy annually, enough to power 1.7 million U.S. homes for a year.
These projects will supply renewable energy for Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfillment centers, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers that support millions of customers globally. They will also help advance Amazon’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions across its business by 2040.
Part of that commitment is powering Amazon’s infrastructure with 100% renewable energy. The company is now on a path to achieve this milestone by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target.
“Amazon is helping to fight climate change by moving quickly to power our businesses with renewable energy. With a total of 127 solar and wind projects, Amazon is now the biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy ever. We are on a path to running 100% of our business on renewable energy by 2025 — five years ahead of our original target of 2030,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and CEO.
The 26 new wind and solar projects announced are located in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. Among these nations, Amazon has announced renewable energy projects for the first time in France, Germany, Italy, and South Africa.
In the U.S., Amazon has now enabled wind and solar projects in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. Amazon has a total of 127 renewable energy projects globally, including 59 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 68 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers around the globe.
In a recent interview with Mercom, the spokesperson of the company’s Indian arm informed that Amazon has also taken several measures to incorporate green energy and sustainability efforts into its operations in the country. These include setting up rooftop solar projects at its operation centers and the addition of electric vehicles to its delivery fleet.
Source : https://mercomindia.com/amazon-corporate-purchaser-renewable-energy/
