Amazon has announced five new renewable energy projects that will help it source 80% of its energy needs from clean sources, its goal for 2024. The five new projects will be built in China, Australia, and the United States. Aside from its 2024 goal, the firm aims to use 100% renewable energy by 2030 and expects to be net-zero carbon by 2040.
Commenting on the company’s plan, Kara Hurst, Vice President of Sustainability at Amazon, said:
“As a signatory to The Climate Pledge, we’re committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early and reaching net-zero carbon across Amazon by 2040. These five new renewable energy projects are a critical part of our roadmap to reach this goal. In fact, we believe it is possible to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the goals we announced last fall. While this will be challenging, we have a credible plan to get there.”
Details of the new projects are as follows:
- China: A 100 megawatt (MW) solar project in Shandong. Once finished, it will generate 128,000-megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually.
- Australia: A 105 MW solar project in New South Wales. This project is expected to generate 250,000 MWh of clean energy per year once complete; Amazon says this is enough to power the equivalent of 40,000 average Australian homes.
- Ohio, U.S.: Amazon is planning two new projects in this state, a 200 MW solar project and an 80 MW solar project.
- Virginia, U.S.: A new 130 MW solar project will be the firm’s 12th in Virginia. Combined, the U.S.-based projects will have enough capacity to power the equivalent of 69,000 average U.S. homes each year.
The announcement of these projects comes just days after Greenpeace lambasted Google, Amazon, and Microsoft for developing AI tools for oil and gas companies. As a response, Google announced that it wouldn"t sign-off on any contracts like those going forward.