Amazon to buy renewable energy from 26 wind, solar projects

SEATTLE — Seattle-based Amazon.com, Inc. has signed agreements to purchase energy from 26 wind and solar projects around the world, claiming it is now the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

The deal moves the e-commerce giant five years closer to its goal of powering all of its operations with renewable energy, The Seattle Times reported.

“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,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said. “This is just one of the many steps we’re taking that will help us meet our Climate Pledge.”

Google had previously claimed the title in 2019 as the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, company officials said.

The newly purchased projects are located in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S. and have the capacity to produce 3.4 gigawatts of electricity. The cost of the projects is unclear.

Amazon has backed about 130 wind and solar deals since 2015, with a capacity of 6.5 gigawatts, enough to power 1.7 million homes in the U.S. for a year. The company said 42% of its operations were powered by renewable energy in 2019.