Posted on February 7, 2024
As the world’s biggest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, Amazon now has more than 500 solar and wind power projects globally. And this commitment is only growing, as the e-commerce giant is expected to generate more than 77,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy each year.
Adding to its renewable energy portfolio, Amazon has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) with French multinational utility company ENGIE, increasing its share of output from Ocean Winds’ Moray West offshore wind farm to a total of 473MW when the site becomes operational later this year.
Amazon’s portion of output equals the energy it would take to power more than 650,000 homes across the UK yearly.
Another mark of Amazon’s renewable energy commitment
Set to generate power this year, the 882MW wind farm off the Scottish coast, once operational, will support Amazon’s goal of powering all its own operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025/. This is five years ahead of the company’s original 2030 target, again displaying its steadfast commitment to renewable energy.
Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy, EMEA at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said: “Transitioning to carbon-free energy sources is one of the most impactful ways to lower carbon emissions, and is part of our Climate Pledge commitment to reach net zero carbon across our operations by 2040.
“We are on track to meet our ambitious goal of powering our global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025.”
In 2022, 90% of electricity consumed by Amazon was attributable to renewable energy sources, which shows Amazon’s commitment to decarbonising its operations.
Across Europe alone in 2023, Amazon announced 39 new renewable energy projects, which, in turn, added more than 1GW of clean energy capacity to grids across the continent. Amazon, one of Big Five tech giants, has also seen itself become Europe’s and the UK’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy thanks to its investment in solar and wind projects.
“Amazon’s investments in solar and wind projects are helping power our operations, while also providing new sources of clean energy to the grid, spurring economic growth, and supporting jobs in the communities where our customers live and work,” added Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS. “More than 90% of our operations were powered by renewables last year, but we’re not done. We’re focused on continuing to find innovative ways to bring new projects online, address grid constraints, and work with policymakers to mitigate the impacts of climate change, all of which is helping Amazon move closer to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2025.”
