Amazon announced that all the electricity consumed by its operations, including data centres, corporate buildings, grocery stores, and fulfilment centres, would be matched with 100% renewable energy by 2023.
In 2019, Amazon set a goal to consume 100% renewable energy in all its operational areas by 2030. However, the company said it had met the goal seven years ahead of schedule.
Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said, “Our teams will remain ambitious and continue to do what is right for our business, customers, and planet.”
Hurst added that 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, which can help power our operations for decades to come.
The announcement added that Amazon has become the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for four years.
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Amazon has also invested billions of dollars in more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, which together can generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 7.6 million US homes.
Kyle Harrison, Head of Sustainability Research at BloombergNEF, 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.”
Amazon is backing nearly 1.7 GW of capacity spread across six offshore wind farms in Europe. Once fully operational, these farms are projected to generate sufficient energy to supply 1.8 million average European homes.