Global giant Amazon has announced all of the electricity consumed by its operations, including its data centres, was matched with 100% renewable energy in 2023.
The news follows the company’s 2019 announcement of a goal to match all of the power consumed across its global operations – including its data centres, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centres– with 100% renewable energy by 2030.
To hit that target early Amazon has become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running, according to Bloomberg NEF, and has 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 US homes.
“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,” said Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst.
“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.
“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.”
BloombergNEF head of sustainability research Kyle Harrison added: “By achieving its 100% renewable energy goal, Amazon has made it possible for hundreds of new solar and wind projects to be constructed, bringing new sources of clean energy to grids and communities around the world.
“Addressing climate change while balancing society’s skyrocketing energy demands is a massive challenge, and Amazon’s commitment to clean power demonstrates how a single company can help accelerate the transition to the low-carbon economy on a global scale.”
Since 2019, the multinational has enabled renewable energy projects in 27 countries and was the first corporation to enable utility-scale renewable energy projects in India, Greece, South Africa, Japan, and Indonesia, among other countries.
To accomplish this, Amazon worked with policymakers to enable first-of-their-kind policies to help corporations support the construction of new solar and wind projects in these countries.
The company is also supporting nearly 1.7GW of capacity across six offshore wind farms in Europe that, once fully operational, are expected to produce enough energy to power 1.8 million average European homes.
These projects make Amazon the top corporate purchaser of offshore wind globally.
It is also working with developers focused on optimising turbine technology, which helps maximize the amount of electricity produced. Last year, the Amazon-Shell 750MW HKN Offshore Wind Project in the Netherlands became the first offshore wind farm enabled by Amazon to begin operations.
The multinational has also enabled more than 80 renewable energy projects across the Asia Pacific region to date, including 50 projects across India, and projects in countries including Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea.
In Japan, Amazon is announcing its first onshore wind farm and standalone utility-scale solar project – a 33MW wind project located in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, as well as a 9.5MW solar farm in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Amazon is the largest corporate purchaser in Japan, with a total of 20 projects enabled to date. The projects include 14 onsite solar installations on rooftops of local Amazon buildings, and six offsite wind and solar projects.