Amazon buys record 8.3GW of renewable energy in 2022

Cloud giant claims new record for clean power purchased by a single company in a year

Amazon claims to have broken a clean energy procurement record, after purchasing 8.3GW of wind and solar power in 2022.

The tech giant today announced it had secured more renewable energy in 2022 than any other company had bought in a year, as part of its drive to power its stores, data centres, and fulfilment centres entirely using clean energy by 2025.

Amazon said it backed 133 new projects across 11 countries last year, taking its total renewables portfolio to more than 20GW and allowing it to retain its position as the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy worldwide.

"As we continue to launch new renewable energy projects around the world, we're pleased to be on track to power our operations with 100 per cent renewable energy, five years ahead of our original target," said Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS.

He added that the projects purchased in 2022 highlighted "the diversity of our renewable energy sources and showcase our ability to bring new technologies to new markets and further reduce the impacts of climate change."

Kyle Harrison, head of sustainability research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, noted that Amazon's clean energy portfolio rivalled those of many power companies.

"Amazon's clean energy portfolio doesn't just top the corporate charts - it is now among the leading utilities globally as well," he said.

"The fact that it announced a new annual record of clean energy in a year mired by a global energy crisis, supply chain bottlenecks and high interest rates speaks to its forward planning and expertise in navigating power markets and executing long-term contracts."

Eleven of the projects purchased by Amazon in 2022 were in Europe, where it added 372MW of capacity across the UK, Spain, Italy, German, and Finland.

This article first appeared on BusinessGreen