As one of the world’s largest economies, China has made clean energy commitments to help build a long-term sustainable economy. With Amazon’s first wind farm and solar farm in China now producing clean energy, Amazon is contributing to China’s clean energy future.
These large-scale renewable energy projects represent 200 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity and are expected to produce 496,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) each year—the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 250,000 Chinese homes. In addition to the clean energy these projects now generate, they are also resulting in investments in local communities by providing environmental, economic, and educational contributions.
“Amazon is committed to and invested in sustainability because it’s a win all around—it’s good for the planet, for business, for our customers, and for our communities,” said Elaine Chang, corporate vice president and managing director of Amazon Web Services for the greater China region. “It is exciting to see Amazon’s first two large-scale renewable energy projects in China generating clean energy for the country’s grid. By becoming operational, these projects are helping China meet its renewable energy goals. We also support local customers with the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offering to build and implement solutions that meet their sustainability goals.”
China has committed to obtaining 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power capacity to help power its economy with clean energy. It has already made significant progress on this goal. By the end of 2021, China had installed 1,000 GW of renewable energy capacity—more than any other country. More recently, in June, China announced new plans to ensure that its grids will source one-third of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.
In addition to providing clean energy, these projects offer innovations that benefit local communities.
Amazon Solar Farm China–Shandong
Amazon Solar Farm China–Shandong is located about 310 miles south of Beijing, China, in the Shandong province. The solar farm includes 420,000 panels across 1.5 square miles. The project brought significant economic benefits from the $139 million (1 billion yuan) invested. At peak development, the project created more than 800 construction jobs.
Beyond the economic benefits, the project is unique because Tongwei, the developer of the solar farm, also specializes in aquaculture. The solar farm is built around a fishery, and it integrates photovoltaic power generation by converting sunlight into electricity above the water and safe marine life production beneath the water, which results in the simultaneous harvesting of both solar energy and the South American white shrimp, sea cucumber, grouper, and other aquatic organisms. The developer also built an exhibition center, a science education base, and several leisure and entertainment facilities. Today, government agencies and students regularly visit and learn about clean energy, aquaculture, and technology.
Amazon’s solar farm in Shandong, China, which includes a fishery and educational programming for students and government agencies.Amazon Wind Farm China–Qian'an
The wind turbine blades are turning at Amazon’s first Chinese wind farm in the northwest area of Jilin province. The 100 MW wind farm is expected to produce 340,000 MWh of clean energy each year.
Like its solar counterpart to the south, CLP Holdings Limited, the developer of Amazon Wind Farm China–Qian'an, engaged with the local community. This included donating to Qian’an county for COVID-relief measures, distributing medical supplies to local residents, and hosting tree planting on World Environment Day to promote the importance of environmental protection. Joseph Law, managing director–China at CLP Holdings Limited, said, “We are glad to support Amazon in the decarbonization journey. In addition to harvesting the wind power to add more clean, renewable energy to the grid, this project contributes to a greener community by organizing tree planting campaigns in the neighborhood.”
Amazon’s wind farm in Jilin, China.Amazon’s commitment to sustainability
Amazon has enabled 379 renewable energy projects that have the capacity to generate over 18.5 GW and deliver 50,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy annually—enough to power more than 4.3 million average U.S. homes.
Amazon reached 85% renewable energy across its business in 2021 and is on path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of its original 2030 commitment. The 100% renewable energy commitment was announced in 2019 when Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, becoming the first signatory and setting a goal to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early by reaching net-zero carbon by 2040.
