Amazon has announced nine new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects in North America and Europe, making it the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world.
The company now has a total of 206 renewable energy projects globally, including 71 utility-scale wind and solar projects, and 135 solar rooftops on facilities and stores worldwide. With 8.5 gigawatts of electricity production capacity globally to date, Amazon is on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the original target of 2030.
The new energy projects, announced on April 19, also mean Amazon has become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in Europe, with more than 2.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity—enough to power more than 2 million European homes a year.
The latest utility-scale renewable energy projects are in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. These, and Amazon’s other projects, supply renewable energy to Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfillment centers, Whole Foods Market stores, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers, which power Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally. The renewable energy from these projects also helps Amazon meet its commitment to produce the clean energy equivalent of the electricity used by all consumer Echo devices.
All of these projects are part of Amazon’s ambition to power 100% of company activities with renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of the original target of 2030. Investing in renewable energy is one of the many actions Amazon is taking as part of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
"Amazon continues to scale up its investments in renewable energy as part of its effort to meet The Climate Pledge, our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. "With these nine new wind and solar projects, we have announced 206 renewable wind and solar projects worldwide, and we are now the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in Europe and globally. Many parts of our business are already operating on renewable energy, and we expect to power all of Amazon with renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of our original target of 2030."
Here are some details about the nine new wind and solar projects:
- Our first solar project paired with energy storage: Based in California’s Imperial Valley, Amazon’s first solar project paired with energy storage allows the company to align solar generation with the greatest demand. The project generates 100 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, which is enough to power over 28,000 homes for a year and includes 70 MW of energy storage. The project also allows Amazon to deploy next-generation technologies for energy storage and management while maintaining the reliability and resilience of California’s electricity grid.
- Our first renewable project in Canada: Amazon’s first renewable energy investment in Canada is an 80 MW solar project in the County of Newell in Alberta. Once complete, it will produce over 195,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy to the grid—which is enough energy to power more than 18,000 Canadian homes for a year.
- The largest corporate renewable energy project in the UK: Amazon’s newest project in the UK is a 350 MW wind farm off the coast of Scotland and is Amazon’s largest in the country. It is also the largest corporate renewable energy deal announced by any company in the UK to date.
- New projects in the U.S.: Amazon’s first renewable energy project in Oklahoma is a 118 MW wind project located in Murray County. Amazon is also building new solar projects in Ohio, in Allen, Auglaize, and Licking counties. Together, these Ohio projects will account for more than 400 MW of new energy procurement in the state.
- Additional investments in Spain and Sweden: In Spain, Amazon’s newest solar projects are located in Extremadura and Andalucia, and together add more than 170 MW to the grid. Amazon’s newest project in Sweden is a 258 MW onshore wind project located in northern Sweden.
If you’d like to see Amazon’s renewable energy projects around the world, visit our interactive map.
“Amazon continues to play a key role leading the corporate transition to renewable power worldwide and demonstrating that ambitious renewable targets are both achievable and widely beneficial,” said Gregory Wetstone, president and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). “The company’s nine new clean energy projects bring them to an impressive record total of 8.5 gigawatts of global renewable capacity and include Amazon’s first solar plus storage project, using advanced technology to help deliver a clean, reliable grid."
“Leading companies like Amazon know the value that solar can bring to their businesses and the planet,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “We’re thrilled to see that Amazon is following through on its climate commitments and is investing in renewable energy assets across the world. Wall Street, customers, and international businesses are all watching what American companies are doing about climate change, and this type of leadership can have a major impact on the climate crisis.”
Hannah Hunt, impact director for RE-Source, a corporate renewable energy sourcing platform in Europe, also praised the investments, saying: “Amazon is a leader in renewable energy buying and is continuously changing the market through continuous innovation and investments in renewable energy. We are thrilled to see Amazon's latest commitments around the world including in Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Long-term investments like these are crucial to companies moving closer to climate neutrality.”
Rebecca Nadel, director of the Business Renewables Centre–Canada, noted the significance of the project in Canada. “Amazon’s announcement of an 80 MW deal is the largest known solar virtual power purchase agreement in Canada. This transaction expands Amazon’s leadership as a corporate buyer of renewable energy into Canada and is further evidence of the growth and viability of the Canadian renewables market,” Nadel said.
Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Numerous companies around the world have since joined Amazon and signed the Pledge. To reach its goal, Amazon will continue to reduce emissions across its operations by taking real business actions and establishing a path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy, five years ahead of the company’s original target of 2030; delivering its Shipment Zero vision to make all shipments net-zero carbon, with 50% net-zero carbon by 2030; purchasing 100,000 electric delivery vehicles, the largest order ever of electric delivery vehicles; and by investing $2 billion in the development of decarbonizing services and solutions through the Climate Pledge Fund. For more information, visit https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/.
