Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 38 | Page 71

WITH A TOTAL OF 127 SOLAR AND WIND PROJECTS , AMAZON IS NOW THE BIGGEST CORPORATE BUYER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY EVER .
INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology

Amazon becomes world ’ s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy

Amazon has made the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year .

Amazon has announced 26 new

utility-scale wind and solar energy projects totalling 3.4 gigawatts ( GW ) of electricity production capacity , bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity – the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year .
These new projects will make Amazon the largest-ever corporate purchaser of renewable energy .
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 megawatt hours ( MWh ) of renewable energy annually . This is enough to power 1.7 million US homes for one year .
These projects will supply renewable energy for Amazon ’ s corporate offices , fulfilment centres and Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) data centres 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 and the company is now on a path to achieve this milestone by 2025 , five years ahead of the initial 2030 target .
“ Amazon is helping fight climate change by moving quickly to power our businesses with renewable energy ,” said Jeff Bezos , Amazon Founder and CEO . “ 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 . This is just one of the many steps we ’ re taking that will help us meet our Climate Pledge . I couldn ’ t be more proud of all the teams across Amazon that continue to work hard , smart and fast to get these projects up and running .”

WITH A TOTAL OF 127 SOLAR AND WIND PROJECTS , AMAZON IS NOW THE BIGGEST CORPORATE BUYER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY EVER .

The 26 new wind and solar projects announced are located in Australia , France , Germany , Italy , South Africa , Sweden , the UK and the US . The new projects are Amazon ’ s first in France , Germany , Italy and South Africa . In the US , 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 utilityscale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 68 solar rooftops on fulfilment centres and sort centres around the globe .
“ Private sector investment is essential to scaling renewable energy at the pace necessary to drive global climate action ,” said Miranda Ballentine , CEO of Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance ( REBA ). “ The US-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 .” p
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