All of the electricity consumed by Amazon’s operations, including its data centers, was matched with 100% renewable energy in 2023
India : In 2019, Amazon set a goal to match all of the electricity consumed across its global operations – including data centers, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers – with 100% renewable energy by 2030. Today, Amazon announced that it has met the goal seven years ahead of schedule. The company has now become the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running (since 2020), according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and has invested billions of dollars in more than 500 solar and wind projects globally.
Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon said, “Reaching the renewable energy goal is an incredible achievement, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to get here, seven years early. We also know that this is just a moment in time, and Amazon’s work to decarbonize its operations will not always be the same each year—we’ll continue to make progress, while also constantly evolving on our path to 2040,” She further added, “The teams will remain ambitious, and continue to do what is right for the business, its customers, and the planet. That’s why the company will 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 the operations for decades to come.”
Since 2019, Amazon has enabled renewable energy projects in 27 countries. In fact, the company 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 use of renewable energy has also been incorporated across Amazon’s broader corporate footprint. Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters in Virginia was designed to run with zero operational carbon emissions, and its electricity consumption is matched by a local solar farm. In addition to utility-scale projects, they have also enabled almost 300 on-site solar projects on the rooftops and properties of Amazon fulfillment centers, Whole Foods Market stores, and other corporate buildings around the world. In total, Amazon’s renewable energy portfolio will help avoid an estimated 27.8 million tons of carbon per year once all projects are operational.
Amazon has enabled more than 80 renewable energy projects across the Asia Pacific region to date, including projects in India, Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea. In India, Amazon has invested in 50 wind and solar projects so far. The company is also the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in India, according to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. In 2022, Amazon launched its first six utility-scale projects in India. This includes three wind-solar hybrid projects located in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, as well as three solar farms in Rajasthan, representing a total renewable energy capacity of 920 megawatts (MW). According to a new economic model developed by Amazon, between 2014 to 2022, the company’s wind and solar farms have helped generate an estimated US$349 million (INR 2,885 crore) in investment for India’s communities. They have also contributed approximately US$87 million (INR 719 crore) to the country’s total GDP, and supported more than 20,600 local full-time equivalent jobs in 2022 alone.
Kyle Harrison, Head of Sustainability Research at BloombergNEF said, “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.” He further added, “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.”
Achieving this renewable energy goal is an important milestone in Amazon’s efforts to meet its Climate Pledge commitment of net-zero carbon by 2040. Looking ahead, Amazon remains as committed as ever to getting there, even if the path is changing in ways that no one quite anticipated even just a few years ago – driven largely by the increasing demand for generative AI. This will require different sources of energy than Amazon originally projected, so the company will need to be nimble and continue evolving its approach as it works towards net-zero carbon. Amazon will continue investing heavily to add substantial amounts of renewable energy to the company portfolio, and also explore new carbon-free energy sources that can complement renewables and balance its needs. While the path to net-zero would have many obstacles and need to be adjusted for changes to both its business and the world, Amazon remains optimistic and focused on achieving it.
