Amazon unveils latest renewable energy projects
Amazon has announced two new renewable energy projects; a wind farm in Cork, Ireland; and a new US solar farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
The Cork facility – which will be Amazon’s second Irish wind farm – will provide 23.2 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity, with expected generation of 68,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually.
The US project – which will be the seventh Amazon Solar Farm in the Commonwealth of Virginia – will provide 45 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity and is expected to generate 100,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy annually.
Both projects are expected to begin producing clean energy in 2020 and will supply clean energy to the company’s Amazon Web Services datacentres, which power Amazon and millions of AWS customers globally.
Globally, Amazon now has 66 renewable energy projects – including 51 solar rooftops – that are expected to generate 1,342 MW of renewable capacity and deliver more than 3.9 million MWh of clean energy annually.
“Playing a significant role in helping to reduce the sources of human-induced climate change is an important commitment for Amazon,” said Kara Hurst, Director of Sustainability, Amazon.
“Major investments in renewable energy are a critical step to address our carbon footprint globally. We will continue to invest in these projects, and look forward to additional investments this year and beyond.”
Commenting on the Cork facility, Richard Bruton, Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, said: “Under the Climate Action Plan, we are committing that 70 percent of Ireland’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030. Industry leadership is key to helping us reach this target.
“This project is another example of AWS’s commitment to renewable projects in Ireland, adding clean energy to the grid, and supporting Ireland’s climate commitments. Construction will begin on this project this year and will start contributing to Ireland’s renewable energy capacity by 2020. We look forward to continuing to work with AWS as we strive to make Ireland a leader in the renewable energy space.”
The US project also drew political support. Virginia Senator Mark R. Warner commented: “I applaud Amazon for their continued investment in clean and renewable energy projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This solar energy project in Pittsylvania County will lead to a cleaner environment and more jobs in the community.”
