The four projects will generate approximately 840,000 MWh of energy annually, or enough to power more than 76,000 average US homes. They will supply renewable energy to the grids powering the AWS data centres that support Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally
Currently, Amazon has 86 renewable energy projects up and running, with the capacity to generate over 2,300 MW and deliver more than 6.3 million MWh of energy annually. The new projects just announced further support the company’s commitment to reach 80 percent renewable energy by 2024 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 on the path to net zero carbon by 2040.
Amazon’s first renewable energy project in Australia is a 60 megawatt (MW) solar project anticipated to come online in 2021 in northern New South Wales. Once complete, the project is expected to generate 142,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually, which is equivalent to the annual electricity of almost 23,000 average Australian households.
The company’s newest renewable energy projects in Europe include 122 MW from an onshore wind project in Västernorrland, Sweden, expected to come online 2022, and a new 50 MW solar farm in Zaragoza, Spain, expected to begin operations in 2021. Once enabled, these projects have the capacity to power the equivalent of 158,000 average European homes each year.
It’s newest solar project in the US will be located in Halifax County, Virginia. The 65 MW solar project is expected to generate over 150,000 MWh of renewable energy annually and will be Amazon’s 11th renewable energy project in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Separately, Amazon also recently announced a new solar project in Pittsylvania County that will power Amazon’s new HQ2 headquarters along with other Amazon-owned operations across the Commonwealth, including Whole Foods Markets and fulfillment centres.
To date, Amazon has launched 26 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects that will generate over 2,200 MW of renewable capacity and deliver more than 6.2 million MWh of clean energy annually – enough to power 560,000 U.S. homes. Amazon has also installed more than 50 solar rooftops on fulfilment centres and sort centres around the globe that generate 122 MW of renewable capacity and deliver 193,000 MWh of clean energy annually.
“We’re on a mission to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early as part of The Climate Pledge commitment to be net zero carbon across our operations by 2040” said Kara Hurst, Vice President of Sustainability, Amazon. “These new renewable energy projects are part of our roadmap to 80 percent renewable energy by 2024 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. In addition to the environmental benefits inherently associated with running applications in the cloud, investing in renewable energy is a critical step toward addressing our carbon footprint globally.”
To track progress toward these goals, Amazon launched a website to report on its sustainability commitments, initiatives, and performance. The site includes information on Amazon’s carbon footprint and other sustainability metrics that share the progress the company is making towards reaching The Climate Pledge.
The goals, commitments, investments, and programmes build on Amazon’s long-term commitment to sustainability through existing innovative programs, including Shipment Zero – Amazon’s vision to make all shipments net zero carbon, with 50 percent net zero carbon by 2030; sustainable packaging initiatives like Frustration-Free Packaging and Ship in Own Container, which have reduced packaging waste by 25 percent since 2015; renewable energy programmes; investments in the circular economy with the Closed Loop Fund; and numerous other initiatives happening every day and led by teams across Amazon.
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