Amazon’s New Renewable Energy Ventures Include 34 Solar Projects

Amazon’s 37 new renewable energy projects have put the company five years ahead of its original target to power 100% of its operations with renewable energy by 2030. The new projects increase the capacity of Amazon’s renewable energy portfolio by nearly 30%, from 12.2 GW to 15.7 GW, and bring the total number of renewable energy projects to 310 across 19 countries.

“Our commitment to protecting the planet and limiting Amazon’s impact on the environment has led us to become the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world in both 2020 and 2021,” says Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. “Given the growth of our business, and our mission to run 100 percent of Amazon’s operations on renewable energy, we aren’t slowing our renewable investments down.”

The new projects announced are located across the U.S., Spain, France, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. They vary in project type and size, with three new wind farms, 26 new solar farms, and eight new rooftop solar installations at its buildings around the world. As a result of these projects, Amazon now has a total of 310 renewable energy projects, including 134 wind and solar farms and 176 rooftop solar projects. Once operational, the projects are expected to produce 42,000 GWh of renewable energy each year.

Amazon also continues to invest in renewable energy projects paired with energy storage. The new projects include a 300 MW solar project paired with 150 MW of battery storage in Arizona and a 150 MW solar project paired with 75 MW of battery storage in California. Combined, the two projects double Amazon’s total announced solar paired with energy storage from 220 MW to 445 MW.

In the U.S., 23 projects are spread across 13 states, bringing Amazon’s total clean energy procurement in the U.S. from 7.2 GW to 10.4 GW. Notably, the new projects include Amazon’s largest renewable energy project (by capacity) announced to date, which is a 500 MW solar farm in Texas. The announcement also includes the company’s first renewable energy projects in Missouri. The remaining projects are in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia.

The company added an additional 314 MW of renewable energy capacity in Spain, bringing its total investment to 1.4 GW in the country. The five new projects include three solar farms and two wind farms, bringing Amazon’s total renewable energy projects in Spain to 14.

Amazon announced its second solar project in France, which brings the company’s total renewable energy capacity announced to date to 38 MW in the country.

The company added its first rooftop solar project in the United Arab Emirates, which is a 2.7 MW installation in Dubai. Amazon also announced seven rooftop solar projects in Australia, Canada, India and Japan, totaling over 5 MW of clean energy capacity.

“As number one on CEBA’s Deal Tracker Top 10 for the second year in a row, Amazon continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing clean energy,” states Miranda Ballentine, CEO of Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA). “Amazon’s recent announcement highlights the increasingly sophisticated strategies used by energy customers to deploy carbon-free energy projects across the nation and the world, and the critical role energy customers play in optimizing emissions reductions.”

“Amazon continues to be a leader in rapidly scaling up renewable energy projects here in the U.S. This increasingly includes hybrid projects that pair energy storage with renewable energy generation, unlocking the ability to use clean reliable energy throughout all hours of the day,” comments Heather Zichal CEO of the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

Original Source: https://solarindustrymag.com/amazons-new-renewable-energy-ventures-include-34-solar-projects