Amazon’s cloud computing unit AWS is supporting the development of five new solar parks in Virginia with a combined capacity of 180MW.
The facilities, developed as part of a partnership with utility Dominion Resources, are expected to start operating in late 2017.
Dominion has acquired four 20MW projects – Amazon Solar Farm US East 2 to 5 – from developer Virginia Solar and a 100MW plant in Southampton County from Community Energy Solar.
The utility will own and operate the facilities as part of Amazon’s eastern US solar portfolio.
Construction will be enabled through long-term power purchase agreements with AWS, the utility said.
The Amazon unit already supported the 80MW Amazon Solar Farm US East facility in Virginia. It is also backing four wind power projects across the country.
The company said it has become the largest corporate backer of solar projects east of the Mississippi.
It has a long-term goal of powering itself with 100% renewable energy and expects to exceed the 40% mark by the end of the year.
“We continue to ramp our sustainability efforts in areas where availability of renewable energy sources is low or proposed projects are stalled, and where the energy contribution goes onto the same electric grid that powers AWS data centers,” AWS vice-president for infrastructure Peter DeSantis said.
“By enabling 10 utility-scale renewable projects in the US to date, we are well positioned to meet our latest goal of 50% renewable energy powering the AWS global infrastructure by the end of 2017.”
Image: Dominion Resources
