Amazon Becomes The World’s Largest Corporate Purchaser of Renewable Energy

Google had previously been the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, claiming that title in 2019. Web retail giant, Amazon has now toppled Google, to become the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy after signing agreements Thursday to purchase energy from 26 wind and solar projects around the world. The company’s total renewable energy investments to date will supply 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity production capacity—enough to power 1.7 million U.S. homes for one year.

Amazon announced plans to add 26 utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, totaling 3.4 GW of electricity production capacity, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity—the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year. These new projects will make the company the largest-ever corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

Amazon has so far invested in 6.5 GW of wind and solar projects that will enable the company to supply its operations with more than 18 million megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy annually. This is enough to power 1.7 million U.S. homes for one year. These 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.

They will also help advance Amazon’s goal to be net-zero carbon emissions across its business by 2040. Part of that commitment is powering Amazon’s infrastructure with 100% renewable energy, and the company is now on a path to achieve this milestone by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target.

“Amazon is helping fight climate change by moving quickly to power our businesses with renewable energy,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO. “With a total of 127 solar and wind projects, Amazon is now the biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy ever. We are on a path to running 100% of our business on renewable energy by 2025—five years ahead of our original target of 2030. This is just one of the many steps we’re taking that will help us meet our Climate Pledge. I couldn’t be more proud of all the teams across Amazon that continue to work hard, smart, and fast to get these projects up and running.”

The 26 new wind and solar projects announced are located in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S. The new projects are Amazon’s first in France, Germany, Italy, and South Africa. In the U.S., Amazon has now enabled wind and solar projects in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.

The company has a total of 127 renewable energy projects globally, including 59 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects, and 68 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers around the globe.

Additionally, in an effort to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within the renewable energy sector and reduce barriers for participants from underrepresented communities, AWS is proud to be a founding supporter of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Accelerate membership program.

Through Accelerate, smaller renewable energy companies owned and operated by women and people of color will be eligible for a complimentary two-year ACORE membership, where participating organizations will gain access to key resources and networks to help drive a more diverse and inclusive renewable industry.

Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. The pledge now has 31 signatories, including Unilever, Verizon, Siemens, Microsoft, and Best Buy.

To reach its goal, Amazon will continue to reduce emissions across its operations by establishing a path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy, five years ahead of the company’s initial target of 2030; by delivering its Shipment Zero vision to make all shipments net-zero carbon, with 50% net-zero carbon by 2030; and by purchasing 100,000 electric delivery vehicles, the largest order ever of electric delivery vehicles. Learn more about Amazon’s commitment to sustainability.