December 3, 2024 12:12 PM
7 ways Amazon is thinking big about nuclear energy
As society’s energy needs are changing, from electrifying vehicles to streaming a movie, Amazon continues to plan for this growth while remaining committed to our Climate Pledge commitment of reaching net-zero carbon by 2040.
To do so, we’re investing in nuclear power, a critical energy source that can be brought online at scale and has a decades-long record as a reliable source of safe, carbon-free energy. We’re helping develop next-gen nuclear technology, investing in existing nuclear reactors, and supporting research on topics like nuclear fusion, and more – all to help power our operations more sustainably, and help everyone transition toward a carbon-free energy future.
November 25, 2024 9:25 AM
Amazon invests in first utility-scale wind energy projects in Greece
Turbine Construction at Vermio wind farmAmazon is investing in three new utility-scale wind farms in Greece, our largest renewable energy deal in the country to date. These wind farms will help match our electricity use in the region with carbon-free energy, while supporting Greece's goal of transitioning to more renewable electricity sources. The news was announced at AWS Day in Athens, with Theodoros Skylakakis, Minister of Environment and Energy, in attendance.
We continue to build our carbon free energy portfolio all around the world, and in Greece, we’ve signed four Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that span three renewable energy projects. Two of the PPAs are for the Vermio wind farm, which is divided into Vermio North and Vermio South, spanning the Western and Central Macedonia regions. The other two PPAs enable the Mesokorfi and Koukouras wind farms in the Peloponnese region. Construction of these wind farm projects has already started, with power generation expected to begin in 2026. In total, the three wind farms are expected to generate enough carbon-free energy to power the equivalent of nearly 200,000 Greek homes annually. The energy from the projects will be delivered directly to the grid, helping power Amazon’s operations while benefitting other energy users, including local businesses, public institutions, and Greek households.
Turbine Construction at Vermio wind farm
The construction and long-term operation of the wind farms are also expected to support new employment and economic opportunities across the region. For the Vermio wind farm alone, more than 100 construction jobs have already been created, with up to 300 roles expected during peak activity on the site, according to Aer Soléir, a Dublin-headquartered developer and owner of sustainability infrastructure across Europe.
November 1, 2024 9:50 AM
AWS and GRID Alternatives bring solar power to eastern Oregon nonprofits and facilities
GRID Alternatives, the largest nonprofit installer of clean energy technologies in the U.S., in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) selected the 10 nonprofit organizations and community facilities across Eastern Oregon receiving rooftop solar installation as part of the $1.2 million contribution announced earlier this year.
The solar arrays at 10 locations across Morrow and Umatilla counties, such as senior centers, food pantries, transitional housing, and schools, will collectively generate up to 250 kilowatts of carbon-free electricity. This will help offset their utility costs, allowing these organizations to reallocate funds towards their core community missions.
Installations are scheduled to begin in November 2024. GRID Alternatives will handle the rooftop deployments at no cost over a five-month period. The recipients will own the systems as long as they want, and GRID Alternatives will manage long-term maintenance and performance monitoring plans.
October 21, 2024 9:58 AM
Amazon signs agreements for innovative nuclear energy projects to address growing energy demands
As the energy needs of our business and customers continue to grow, we’re continuing to invest in renewables while also finding additional sources of carbon-free energy that can both help power our operations and bring new sources of energy to the grid. Nuclear power is one part of that mix—it can be brought online at scale, and has a decades-long record of providing a reliable source of safe carbon-free energy for communities around the world.
We recently announced that we’ve signed three new agreements to support the development of nuclear energy projects—including enabling the construction of several new Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs are an advanced kind of nuclear reactor with a smaller physical footprint, allowing them to be built closer to the grid. They also have faster build times than traditional reactors, allowing them to come online sooner.
- In Washington, our agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities, will enable the development of four advanced SMRs. We also made an investment in X-energy, a leading developer of next-generation SMR reactors and fuel, and X-energy’s advanced nuclear reactor design will be used in the Energy Northwest project.
- In Virginia, we’ve signed an agreement with utility company Dominion Energy to explore the development of an SMR project near Dominion’s existing North Anna nuclear power station.
- In Pennsylvania, our agreement to co-locate a data center facility next to the Talen Energy nuclear facility will directly power our data centers with carbon-free energy, and helps preserve this existing reactor.
September 24, 2024 9:49 AM
How Amazon is supporting farmers through solar and wind farm investment
Farming is a high-risk, unpredictable business, and climate change is making it even more challenging due to increasing extreme weather events. But by investing in agrivoltaics—the combination of solar and agriculture, as well as dual land-use projects that combine farms and wind turbines, farmers around the world have new opportunities to grow their businesses while addressing climate change. Amazon is supporting several of these projects as it grows its renewable energy portfolio as part of our Climate Pledge commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040.
In Tunica County, Mississippi, third-generation farmer Abbott Myers has diversified his farm’s income by agreeing to host the state’s first wind farm on his land.
In Garrard County, Kentucky, Daniel Bell, a sheep rancher and owner of Hazelbrook Farm, has grown his flock and turned his farm into a multi-generational operation by offering grazing services to a nearby solar farm. And, over in Madison County, Ohio, researchers from The Ohio State University are studying how to scale farming alongside large solar energy projects.
Renewable energy projects like these provide benefits not only to farmers, but also to renewable energy developers and the local communities. Some of the benefits include:
- Farmers: More revenue sources and ecological benefits to their land, such as healthier soil and biodiversity, and an increase in land-use efficiency.
- Renewable Energy Developers: Unlock land availability challenges when trying to site new solar and wind projects.
- Local Communities: The projects can generate jobs, tax revenue, and new sources of energy to local communities.
September 11, 2024 6:00 AM
Five ways Amazon is helping modernize the U.S. power grid
Power grids form the backbone of the U.S. electric system, responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand while delivering power to homes and businesses. This complex system is undergoing a massive transformation driven by an evolving energy landscape. The onshoring of manufacturing, electrification of transportation, and expansion of digital infrastructure are fueling a surge in electricity demand, while the country is simultaneously transitioning toward a more sustainable energy future. This confluence of factors presents an opportunity to harness the significant growth of carbon-free energy to meet this increasing demand. However, to fully capitalize on this opportunity, the U.S. will need a modernized and expanded power grid capable of quickly connecting, transmitting, and managing carbon-free energy.
Amazon is taking tangible steps to support these efforts, including innovating across the energy sector to bring new carbon-free power sources forward, encouraging investment in grid modernization technologies, and urging policymakers across the country to implement policies to accelerate grid modernization efforts.
July 31, 2024 9:31 AM
How an AI-powered robot helps build Amazon-backed solar farms
Maximo, a robot owned and operated by one of Amazon’s renewable energy developer AES, is being deployed to Amazon-backed solar projects to help build them faster and safer. The first-of-its-kind AI-powered robot can reduce solar installation timelines and costs by as much 50%, which AES says is helping accelerate project timelines, creating new workforce opportunities, and making it far less strenuous for construction crews.
Maximo recently made its utility-scale debut at Oak Ridge Solar Farm in Louisiana—a project enabled by Amazon—where it successfully and efficiently installed solar panels while weathering high temperatures. The robot is now moving to support construction at another Amazon-backed renewable energy project in Kern County, California—Bellefield—which is the largest solar-plus-storage project in the U.S.
To conduct its work, Maximo uses AI features including computer vision and data to ensure precise panel placement, and real-time construction intelligence to inform its decision-making. The robot design process by AES included a range of Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools, including AWS RoboMaker, a cloud-based simulation service that enables robotics developers to run, scale, and automate simulation.
“AI is a critical tool that is already helping us develop sustainability solutions and address climate change at scale,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer. “As society’s energy needs grow, the demand for new solar and wind projects is also increasing, and we’re excited to collaborate with renewable energy developers like AES that are bringing new renewables to the grid, and prioritizing innovative technologies that can help accelerate those efforts.”
July 15, 2024 9:53 AM
How Amazon achieved its 100% renewable energy goal
Amazon recently announced that we met our 100% renewable energy goal, seven years early. Making progress like that—especially with operations as complex as ours—isn’t easy, so we wanted to share more about how we were able to get it done. We used a variety of mechanisms, which included investing in new solar and wind projects, supporting projects in countries that still rely heavily on fossil fuels to power their grids (where renewable energy projects are needed the most), and purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
July 10, 2024 1:50 AM
Amazon meets 100% renewable energy goal 7 years early
Amazon announced that we’ve met our renewable energy goal to match 100% of the electricity consumed across Amazon’s global operations—including our data centers, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers—with renewable energy, which we originally set to accomplish by 2030.
To get there, we’ve become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running, and have 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 7.6 million U.S. homes.
Achieving this goal is an important milestone in our efforts to meet our Climate Pledge commitment of net-zero carbon by 2040. Looking ahead, we remain as committed as ever to getting there, and we’re continue to evolve our approach to incorporate additional forms of carbon-free energy, including nuclear energy, alongside our continued solar and wind investments.
“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 decarbonize 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 Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst. “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.”
July 3, 2024 11:39 AM
New research validates how Amazon is taking steps to run our AWS data centers more efficiently
We’re constantly reevaluating how our data centers operate and determining ways to help them run on less energy and be more efficient. And as the world scales our use of AI, it's important to also minimize its environmental footprint.
A new study by Accenture shows that an effective way to do that is by moving IT workloads from on-premises infrastructure to AWS data centers around the globe. The research estimates AWS’s infrastructure is up to 4.1 times more efficient than on-premises, and when workloads are optimized on AWS, the associated carbon footprint can be reduced by up to 99%. This type of impact is possible by AWS optimizing our data center design, investing in purpose-built chips, and innovating with new cooling technologies.
For example, we’ve taken steps to design our data centers to use natural air flow to lower server temperatures, which can heat up while in use. This allows us to use less air conditioning when possible.
We’ve also designed our AWS machine learning chips, which power millions of workloads daily, to be more energy efficient. For example, AWS’s Graviton processor delivers high performance with high levels of energy efficiency. Graviton4 provides up to 30% better computing performance, 50% more cores, and 75% more memory bandwidth than current-generation Graviton3 processors, delivering the best price performance and energy efficiency for a broad range of workloads running on Amazon EC2.
We’re also keeping technologies in use longer by increasing the lifespan of our servers from five to six years.
June 25, 2024 7:00 AM
Five ways Amazon is preparing for the energy demands of the future
As our society relies on technology more than ever, from consumer electronics to large-scale infrastructure in both public and private sectors, global energy demands are continuing to grow. At Amazon, we’re working to meet the future energy demands of our customers and our business while remaining committed to our Climate Pledge to become net-zero carbon by 2040. We know the path forward is changing, and our work to decarbonize our operations won’t be linear, so we’re constantly experimenting, learning, and evolving.