This week, AWS has announced 18 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects spread across the US, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. This totals 2GW of clean energy capacity. This investment also makes Amazon the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy.
Commenting on this significant investment in renewables, Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, said that the tech giant is moving "quickly and deliberately" to reduce its carbon emissions and "address the climate crisis." She added that these kinds of investments are an "important step" in delivering on The Climate Pledge, as well as its commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, which it said is "10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement."
The company's first solar projects in the US are in Arizona and Georgia and will be followed by projects in Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. Meanwhile, four wind projects have been added in Finland, with additional projects in Italy, Spain, and Northern Ireland. Now the company has 274 renewable energy projects globally.
Hannah Hunt, impact director at RE-Source, a corporate renewable energy sourcing platform in Europe, commented: "Amazon's procurement of 12 GW of renewable energy capacity globally is a strong testament to the company's commitment to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040."
Adding: "The company's 10 new renewable energy operations across Europe will benefit communities, bring new green jobs, and help meet our commitments to curb the climate crisis."
