Amazon announces 8 new U.S. solar projects

A rooftop solar system installed at Amazon’s fulfillment warehouse in Avenel, New Jersey. P2 Photography

Amazon has announced 18 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects across the U.S., Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., totaling 5.6 GW of procured capacity to date in 2021. Amazon now has 274 renewable energy projects globally and is on a path to power 100% of its business operations with renewable energy by 2025 — five years earlier than its original 2030 commitment.

These new utility-scale wind and solar projects bring Amazon’s total committed renewable electricity production capacity to more than 12 GW and 33,700 GWh when the projects become fully operational. The projects will supply renewable energy for Amazon’s corporate offices, fulfillment centers and Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers that support millions of customers globally. The projects will also help Amazon meet its commitment to produce the clean energy equivalent of the electricity used by all consumer Echo devices.

“We are moving quickly and deliberately to reduce our carbon emissions and address the climate crisis,” said Kara Hurst, VP of worldwide sustainability at Amazon. “Significant investments in renewable energy globally are an important step in delivering on The Climate Pledge, our commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.”

Following today’s announcement, Amazon is the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world, with 274 global projects including 105 utility-scale wind and solar projects and 169 solar rooftops on facilities and stores worldwide. The new U.S. solar projects announced today include:

• Eight new projects across the U.S.: Amazon added more than 1 GW of utility-scale solar projects in the U.S., including Amazon’s first solar projects in Arizona and Georgia, and additional projects in Ohio, Texas and Virginia. In total, Amazon has enabled more than 6 GW of renewable energy in the U.S. through 62 projects.
• A second solar project paired with energy storage: Based in Arizona, Amazon’s second solar project paired with energy storage enables the company to align solar generation with periods of the greatest demand, even when the sun is not shining. The 300-MW solar project is paired with a 150-MW battery energy storage system and brings Amazon’s battery storage projects to 220 MW.

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/12/amazon-adds-1-gw-to-u-s-solar-portfolio/