Amazon’s operations matched with 100% renewable energy

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

This week, the tech and e-commerce giant announced that it had met that goal seven years ahead of schedule. To get there, it had become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running, according to Bloomberg NEF, and invested billions of dollars in more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, which together are capable of generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 21.9 million EU homes.

The group said achieving this goal was an important milestone in their efforts to meet their Climate Pledge commitment of net-zero carbon by 2040.

“Looking ahead, we remain as committed as ever to getting there, but the path is changing in ways that no one quite anticipated even just a few years ago – driven largely by the increasing demand for generative AI. This will require different sources of energy than we originally projected, so we’ll need to be nimble and continue evolving our approach as we work toward net-zero carbon,” a company statement read.

The company added that while it would continue investing heavily to add substantial amounts of renewable energy to its portfolio, they were also exploring new carbon-free energy sources to complement renewables.

“We’ve known from the start that our path to net-zero would have many obstacles and need to be adjusted for changes to both our business and the world. Nevertheless, as with all of our long-term goals, we remain optimistic and focused on achieving them. Reaching our renewable energy goal is an incredible achievement, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to get here, seven years early. We also know that this is just a moment in time, and our work to decarbonise our operations will not always be the same each year—we’ll continue to make progress, while also constantly evolving on our path to 2040,” said Amazon’s Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability, Kara Hurst.

Kyle Harrison, Head of Sustainability research at BloombergNEF said: “Our teams will remain ambitious, and continue to do what is right for our business, our customers and the planet. That’s why we’ll 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 our operations for decades to come. By achieving its 100% renewable energy goal, Amazon has made it possible for hundreds of new solar and wind projects to be constructed, bringing new sources of clean energy to grids and communities around the world.”

Since 2019, Amazon has enabled renewable energy projects in 27 countries and was the first corporation to enable utility-scale renewable energy projects in India, Greece, South Africa, Japan, and Indonesia, among other countries.

“Our 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, we’ve also enabled almost 300 on-site solar projects on the rooftops and properties of our fulfilment centres, Whole Foods Market stores, and other corporate buildings around the world. In total, our renewable energy portfolio will help avoid an estimated 27.8 million tons of carbon per year once all projects are operational,” the group said.

The company is also supporting nearly 1.7 GW of capacity across six offshore wind farms in Europe that, once fully operational, are expected to produce enough energy to power 1.8 million average European homes. These projects make Amazon the top corporate purchaser of offshore wind globally. Offshore wind is able to generate significant amounts of energy due to the consistent flow of ocean breezes, and has the potential to meet more than one-third of global power needs, according to the United Nations.

“We're also working with developers focused on optimising wind turbine technology, which helps maximise the amount of electricity produced. Last year, the Amazon-Shell HKN Offshore Wind Project, or HKN, became the first offshore wind farm enabled by Amazon to begin operations. The project spans two locations off the coast of the Netherlands, and boasts more than 750 MW of renewable energy capacity,” the statement concluded.

Saturday Star

norman.cloete@inl.co.za

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