Case study 8:
Segment: IT-ITes/Retail
Enterprise: Amazon
HL: Using solar energy the Amazon way
As a global tech company with a large presence in the retail industry, Amazon has been leading renewable energy adoption across its operations worldwide. The company has announced its first utility-scale renewable energy projects in India–three solar farms in Rajasthan with a combined capacity to generate 1.07 million megawatt hours (MWh).
Additionally, the company announced 23 new solar rooftop projects on its fulfilment centers across 14 cities in India. These will generate 4.09 MW and bring the total number of solar rooftop projects in India to 41 with 19.7 MW of capacity.
Abhinav Singh, Director, Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain & Amazon Transportation Services, Amazon India, comments, “Investing in renewable energy is one of the many actions Amazon has been taking to decarbonize its operations globally.”
He says, “Our goal is to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2030. And we are on a path to achieve it by 2025. In 2021, we reached 85% renewable energy across businesses. We are leading the corporate transition to renewable power worldwide and demonstrating that ambitious renewable targets are both achievable and widely beneficial.”
Journey towards renewable energy
For its renewable energy journey, Amazon has collaborated with credible, knowledgeable, and innovative industry partners. For instance, in India, it announced a 210 MW project with ReNew Power, a 100 MW project with Amp Energy India, and a 110 MW project with Brookfield Renewable, respectively.
Renewable energy remains the key focus area for the company. As of September 2022, Amazon has announced 379 renewable energy projects globally, and once fully operational, they are expected to generate 50,000 gigawatt hours (GWh). The company announced it will continue to invest in utility-scale renewable energy projects as it is committed to leveraging on their size and scale to make a difference.
Mr Singh says, “We continue to expand our use of zero-emission transportation. In 2021, more than 110 million packages were delivered by electric vehicles or on foot in North America and Europe. More than 100 US cities will be served by these vehicles by end of this year. In India, we will add 10,000 EVs for deliveries by 2025. This is in addition to the global commitment of 100,000 EVs worldwide by 2030.”
He highlights the substantial investments the company has made to transition to a low-carbon economy. “We continue to invest in visionary companies through our $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund. For instance, in July 2021, we made our first investment in India through energy-tech start-up ION Energy. In 2019, Amazon also created the Right Now Climate Fund, a $100 million fund for nature-based solutions to restore and conserve forests, wetlands, and grasslands.”
Connecting renewable energy with UN SDGs
By linking its renewable energy strategy with other UN Sustainable Development Goals, Amazon is aiming at achieving greater climate impact. For example, it has enabled more than 70,000 employees to learn new skills and advance their careers as part of the Upskilling 2025 pledge, and it is enabling thousands of hourly employees in 14 countries to earn certificates and degrees through Amazon Career Choice.
Along with renewable energy, the company is initiating steps to conserve and reuse water by collecting and recycling water through rainwater collection tanks, replenishing water into aquifers from recharge wells, implementing waterless urinals across sites located in water-stressed regions, and in-house sewage treatment plants that enable the reuse of water for flushing and gardening.
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Elements:
Blurb: The company announced 23 new solar rooftop projects on its fulfilment centres across 14 cities in India. These will generate 4.09 MW and bring the total number of solar rooftop projects in India to 41 with 19.7 MW of capacity
Quote
"Our goal is to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2030. And we are on a path to achieve it by 2025. In 2021, we reached 85% renewable energy across businesses. We are leading the corporate transition to renewable power worldwide and demonstrating that ambitious renewable targets are both achievable and widely beneficial."
Highlights from India
• 23 new solar rooftop projects
• 41 projects in total
• 19.7 MW cumulative capacity
• 10,000 EVs for deliveries by 2025
Amazon’s climate initiatives:
• 2019: Co-founded The Climate Pledge and created the $100 million Right Now Climate Fund
• 2020: Launched the Climate Pledge Fund with an initial $2 billion
• 2021: Helped create LEAF Coalition in 2021
• 2021: Developed the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Brazil
Amazon’s renewable energy journey
• Co-founder & first signatory of The Climate Pledge
• Net Zero by 2040
• 100% renewable energy by 2025
• 225 rooftop solar projects
• 154 wind and solar farms
• 18.5 GW of RE capacity
• 71 new RE projects including first solar farm in India
• 50,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) capacity target