Amazon to engage two new renewable energy projects in United States, European Union

A pair of new renewable energy projects in the United States and the European Union brings Amazon’s total renewable portfolio to 66 projects internationally.

The additions, announced last week, will establish new facilities in the Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth of Virginia, respectively. Amazon expects 168,000 megawatt hours of clean energy to stem from the pair, all of it going toward their web services data centers. The project in Ireland will be a wind farm, whereas the Virginia project will take the form of a solar farm.

“Playing a significant role in helping to reduce the sources of human-induced climate change is an important commitment for Amazon,” Kara Hurst, director of sustainability for Amazon, said. “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.”

The wind farm is expected to provide 23.2 megawatts of renewable capacity, leading to 68,000 MWh annually, while the solar farm should make 45 MW and 100,000 MWh per year. Amazon expects both to begin operations in 2020.

Amazon is currently ranked second in the United States for the amount of corporate solar installed to date. The company notes its overall efforts can generate as much as 1,342 MW and bring in more than 3.9 million MWh annually.