Online retail giant Amazon has announced 18 new wind and solar energy projects planned for the USA, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The company now has 274 renewable energy projects globally and claims that it is on track to power 100% of its business operations with renewable energy by 2025, five years earlier than its original 2030 commitment.
These new utility-scale wind and solar projects will bring Amazon’s total committed renewable electricity production capacity to more than 12GW and 33,700GWh when the projects become fully operational.
The projects will supply renewable energy for Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfillment centers and Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers. They will also help Amazon meet its commitment to produce the clean energy equivalent of the electricity used by all consumer Echo devices.
Kara Hurst, vice president of worldwide sustainability at Amazon, said, “We are moving quickly and deliberately to reduce our carbon emissions and address the climate crisis. Significant investments in renewable energy globally are an important step in delivering on The Climate Pledge, our commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. Renewable energy projects also bring new investment and green jobs, and advance the decarbonization of the electricity systems in communities around the world.”
Gregory Wetstone, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy, said, “Amazon is wasting no time demonstrating that they are fully committed to a clean energy future for all. At COP26, the world agreed we needed bigger and bolder ambitions around global carbon reduction from all sectors. With hundreds of renewable energy projects already underway, Amazon is a model for the level of urgency and action we need from the private sector to combat the climate crisis.”