Amazon meets 100% renewable energy goal seven years early

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Amazon announced this week that it has met the goal of meeting all of its electricity consumption with 100% renewable energy seven years ahead of schedule.

In 2019, Amazon set a goal to match all of the electricity consumed across its global operations – including data centers, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers – with 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The company has now become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running (since 2020), according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and has invested billions of dollars in more than 500 solar and wind projects globally.

Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon said, “Amazon’s work to decarbonize its operations will not always be the same each year—we’ll continue to make progress, while also constantly evolving on our path to 2040. The teams will remain ambitious, and continue to do what is right for the business, its customers, and the planet. That’s why the company will continue investing in solar and wind projects, while also supporting other forms of carbon-free energy, like nuclear, battery storage, and emerging technologies that can help power the operations for decades to come.”

Since 2019, Amazon has enabled renewable energy projects in 27 countries. It has enabled utility-scale renewable energy projects in India, Greece, South Africa, Japan, and Indonesia, among other countries. The use of renewable energy has also been incorporated across Amazon’s broader corporate footprint. Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters in Virginia was designed to run with zero operational carbon emissions, and its electricity consumption is matched by a local solar farm.

In addition to utility-scale projects, Amazon has enabled almost 300 on-site solar projects on the rooftops and properties of Amazon fulfillment centers, Whole Foods Market stores, and other corporate buildings around the world. In total, Amazon’s renewable energy portfolio will help avoid an estimated 27.8 million tons of carbon per year once all projects are operational.

Amazon has enabled more than 80 renewable energy projects across the Asia Pacific region to date, including projects in India, Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea.

In India, Amazon has invested in 50 wind and solar projects so far. The company is also the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in India, according to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. In 2022, Amazon launched its first six utility-scale projects in India. This includes three wind-solar hybrid projects in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, as well as three solar farms in Rajasthan, representing a total renewable energy capacity of 920 MW.

According to a new economic model developed by Amazon, between 2014 to 2022, the company’s wind and solar farms have helped generate an estimated $349 million (INR 2,885 crore) in investment for India’s communities. They have also contributed approximately US$87 million (INR 719 crore) to the country’s total GDP, and supported more than 20,600 local full-time equivalent jobs in 2022 alone.

 

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