Amazon has launched 71 renewable energy projects to produce an additional 2.7GW of clean energy capacity.
This initiative includes the company’s first renewable energy project in South America – a solar farm in Brazil – and its first solar farms in India and Poland. Once fully operational, Amazon’s renewable energy portfolio is expected to generate 50,000GWh of clean energy. In the Asia-Pacific region, Amazon will launch the first of its three projects in India; all three are solar projects in Rajasthan, representing 420MW of clean energy capacity. The company now has a total of 57 renewable energy projects in Asia-Pacific. In Europe, Amazon has set up 117 renewable energy projects and will implement its first rooftop solar projects in France and Austria, and its first solar farm in Poland to increase the renewable energy on Poland’s grid.
In North America, Amazon is adding 1GW of clean energy capacity across the Southeastern USA, including the company’s first two renewable energy projects in Louisiana. In South America, Amazon has launched its first renewable energy project, a 122MW solar farm in Brazil. This project is also expected to provide economic benefits to the local economy and the region’s biodiversity as it includes a R$2m (US$380,000) investment in environmental programs during construction to protect and promote biodiversity. The project is estimated to create 850 jobs during the construction phase, with an additional 30 permanent jobs once the project becomes operational.
Amazon is also working through the Clean Energy Buyers Institute’s (CEBI) Beyond the Megawatt initiative to ensure the industry is maximizing the economic, environmental, and social impact of energy procurement. Miranda Ballentine, CEO of Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) and Clean Energy Buyers Institute (CEBI), commented, “As a key leader in the CEBA community, Amazon continues to demonstrate that when it commits to a vision, it drives a pace and scale that’s a new bar to follow. Amazon also continues to be a leader in not only deploying today’s clean energy procurement tools at scale but also in leading its community of peers and partners in developing tomorrow’s clean energy solutions – whether that’s focusing on ensuring renewables have sustainable supply chains or expanding the impact of clean energy through next-generation procurement tools.”
Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services, said, “We are bringing new wind and solar projects online to power our offices, fulfillment centers, data centers and stores, which collectively serve millions of customers globally, and we are on a path to reach 100% renewable energy across our entire business by 2025. Around the world, countries are looking to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, and continued investments like ours can help accelerate their journey as we all work together to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, founding partner of the Renewable Energy (RE) Source Platform, added, “With its landmark solar projects announced in Poland and France, Amazon has taken crucial steps toward its net-zero pledge, while supporting Europe’s own climate goals. As Europe faces skyrocketing energy prices, solar and renewable energy deals will strengthen Amazon’s strategic resilience – we hope to see more companies follow Amazon’s lead.”