On Wednesday, Amazon announced that it is adding 18 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects to its renewable portfolio. It said the sites will be in the U.S., Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK and will add 2 GW of additional energy capacity.
Earlier this year, the company announced new projects that would generate 3.6 GW of renewable energy, so this week’s additions bring the total additional capacity to 5.6 GW. It said that it’s now on track to power 100% of its operations from renewable energy by 2025 instead of 2030 which was its initial target.
To date, Amazon has announced 274 global renewable energy projects; 105 of these are wind and solar projects while 169 of them are solar rooftops on facilities and stores. The company also said that last year, it committed to projects which would generate 4 GW, so this year, its commitments represent a 40% increase.
Commenting on the news, Miranda Ballentine, CEO of Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), said:
“For the second year in a row, Amazon has set new records as it works toward fully powering its operations with renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of schedule. Large-scale clean energy investments like these benefit us all and should be the new normal for industries of all shapes and sizes. They bring good-paying, green jobs to local communities, and support progress toward our community's goal of a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system.”
It’s often said by people critical of the efforts being taken to tackle climate change that individual efforts aren’t enough and companies need to start pulling their weight. There is some validity in this because Amazon reckons that these 274 clean energy projects will help the firm avoid emitting 13.7 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions each year, which is equivalent to 3 million cars being taken off the road in the United States each year.
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