Amazon proclaims its first brownfield photo voltaic challenge, which might be constructed over a reclaimed coal mine website in Maryland, and its first challenge in South Korea.
Amazon has invested in 78 new photo voltaic and wind power tasks thus far this yr, together with the firm’s first brownfield challenge—which is able to repurpose a beforehand polluted Maryland coal mine website right into a photo voltaic farm—in addition to Amazon’s first renewable power challenge in South Korea, and 10 new renewable power tasks throughout Texas.
The corporate now has a complete of 479 wind and photo voltaic tasks globally, and as soon as operational, they’re anticipated to generate greater than 71,900 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of unpolluted power every year, or sufficient to energy 6.7 million U.S. properties.
Since 2020, Amazon has bought extra renewable power than another firm, based on BloombergNEF. The clear power generated by the tasks is shifting Amazon nearer to powering its operations with 100% renewable power by 2025, together with Amazon Net Providers (AWS) information facilities, Amazon achievement facilities, bodily shops, and company workplaces, whereas additionally offering new sources of unpolluted energy to native communities the place the tasks are positioned.
Amazon’s photo voltaic and wind farms have additionally helped generate greater than $12 billion in estimated financial funding globally from 2014 by way of 2022, and supported 39,000 full-time equal (FTE) jobs in 2022 alone, based on a brand new financial mannequin developed by Amazon.
“Amazon’s investments in photo voltaic and wind tasks are serving to energy our operations, whereas additionally offering new sources of unpolluted power to the grid, spurring financial progress, and supporting jobs within the communities the place our prospects reside and work,” mentioned Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS. “Greater than 90% of our operations had been powered by renewables final yr, however we’re not finished. We’re targeted on persevering with to seek out revolutionary methods to carry new tasks on-line, tackle grid constraints, and work with policymakers to mitigate the impacts of local weather change, all of which is serving to Amazon transfer nearer to reaching 100% renewable power by 2025.”
“Amazon’s renewable power investments proceed to carry new photo voltaic and wind tasks to market at a speedy tempo and cement the corporate as a worldwide chief on this house,” mentioned Kyle Harrison, head of sustainability analysis at BloombergNEF. “Regardless of provide chain challenges, infrastructure hurdles, and rising costs over the previous yr, Amazon’s continued renewable commitments reveal how a company can assist speed up society’s transition to a clear power future.”
Up to now, Amazon has expanded its renewables portfolio into 26 international locations and 21 U.S. states, with new tasks in Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia thus far this yr, in addition to Canada, Greece, and South Korea. Listed here are a couple of of the thrilling tasks Amazon is engaged on this yr.
Amazon is saying its first renewable power challenge constructed on a brownfield—land that has been deserted because of industrial air pollution. Amazon Photo voltaic Farm Maryland–CPV Spine is being constructed on the positioning of the just lately closed Arch Coal Mine in Garrett County, Maryland. The 120-year-old mining website was beforehand contaminated with greater than 45 acres of coal refuse, which has since been reclaimed.
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The U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) estimates that there are greater than 450,000 brownfields within the U.S., which is an rising alternative for photo voltaic power tasks. Brownfields—which might embrace deserted factories, mines, or landfills—are sometimes positioned close to energy traces and public roads, making it simpler to attach a challenge to the grid and switch unused land into an financial alternative for native communities.
The CPV Spine challenge is anticipated to be the largest photo voltaic farm in Maryland as soon as accomplished, based on publicly out there information from the Vitality Info Administration and PJM, and it’ll characteristic greater than 300,000 photo voltaic panels. It’s additionally anticipated to make use of greater than 200 expert staff throughout peak development actions, present hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in native tax income, and assist keep away from greater than 133,000 tons of CO2 every year—the equal of taking greater than 26,000 vehicles off the street, based on the developer Aggressive Energy Ventures (CPV).
An estimated 1,000 jobs have been created in Brazil in the course of the development of a brand new wind farm, positioned inside the Seridó Wind Advanced. In keeping with the developer, almost 50% of these jobs had been crammed by staff from native communities within the countryside of the Rio Grande do Norte area. Elera Renováveis, the developer, used a drone to put in the overhead transmission line conductors for the wind farm, and the wind generators are 150 meters in diameter—the size of almost 1.5 soccer fields. This marks Amazon’s second renewable power challenge in Brazil.
Amazon added 13 new clear power tasks throughout the Asia-Pacific area so far this yr, together with eight utility-scale wind and photo voltaic tasks. In South Korea, Amazon is saying its first renewable power challenge in the nation, which is able to create an estimated 2,400 jobs throughout development, based on the developer.
In India, Amazon accelerated its clear power investments over the previous yr and introduced seven utility-scale renewable power tasks within the nation since September 2022, together with its latest challenge, a 198 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Osmanabad. The corporate additionally invested in dozens of photo voltaic tasks on the rooftops of native Amazon amenities, making Amazon the largest company purchaser of renewables in India, based on BloombergNEF and publicly out there information, with a complete of 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of unpolluted power capability bought thus far throughout India.
In China, Amazon is saying two new wind farms, together with Amazon Wind Farm China–Daqing, which started working in March, and Amazon Wind Farm China–Bobai. Amazon additionally invested in new photo voltaic tasks in Japan and New Zealand this yr.
Amazon is saying 10 new tasks in Texas this yr, which incorporates the firm’s third-largest photo voltaic challenge worldwide—Amazon Photo voltaic Farm Texas–Outpost, a 500 MW capability photo voltaic farm in Webb County, Texas. Amazon can be investing in a brand new wind farm and eight further photo voltaic farms in Texas. The corporate now has a complete of 23 renewable power tasks throughout the state, and as soon as operational, they’re anticipated to generate sufficient clear power to energy 820,000 Texan households—greater than the variety of households within the Texas cities of Fort Price and Austin mixed.
As well as, the most important renewable power challenge in Amazon’s international portfolio—Amazon Wind Farm Texas–Nice Prairie—just lately started operations in Hansford County, Texas. The challenge has greater than 350 wind generators and greater than 1,000 MW of whole capability. It’s projected to supply an estimated $70 million in further tax income over the following 30 years, based on the developer NextEra.
A rising variety of Amazon’s photo voltaic and wind tasks are being launched in areas the place the electrical grid continues to be closely depending on fossil fuels, which implies the tasks are making a much bigger affect on reducing carbon emissions from the native energy sector.
For instance, Amazon just lately introduced its first utility-scale renewable power challenge in Greece, the place the vast majority of the area’s energy comes from carbon-intensive coal and oil. When positioned in Greece, Amazon’s photo voltaic challenge is anticipated to assist the area keep away from greater than 16,000 tons of carbon every year. That’s almost six instances extra carbon prevented than if the identical challenge was positioned in a rustic like Sweden, the place the grid is already powered with a better focus of unpolluted power sources.
As a part of the corporate’s broader effort to assist quickly decarbonize energy grids, Amazon just lately helped co-found the Emissions First Partnership, a coalition of firms dedicated to modernizing the greenhouse fuel accounting requirements for the facility sector, which is able to encourage companies to put money into renewable power tasks in markets the place they can assist decarbonize the facility system sooner—a step that’s essential to addressing local weather change.
