Internet giant Amazon announced two new renewable energy projects last week, a 23.2 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the Republic of Ireland and a 45 MW solar farm in the United States’ Commonwealth of Virginia, bringing the company’s total renewable energy projects globally to 66, including 51 solar rooftops.
Texas Wind Farm
Image Credit: Amazon
Amazon announced last Thursday that it had signed contracts for two new renewable energy projects. The first, the new 23.2 MW Amazon Wind Farm, will be located in Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, and will generate approximately 68,000 MW-hours (MWh) of clean energy each year.
The second project is the seventh Amazon Solar Farm in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and will boast a capacity of 45 MW and generate 100,000 MWh of clean energy annually.
Together, the projects are the company’s 65th and 66th renewable energy projects globally — including 51 solar rooftops — and have a cumulative capacity of 1,342 MW, delivering over 3.9 million MWh of energy annually. Both of the newly-announced projects are expected to be commissioned in 2020 and are intended to supply clean electricity to Amazon Web Services data centers.
“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 at 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.”
Aerial View of Solar Rooftops
Image Credit: Amazon
“Under the Climate Action Plan, we are committing that 70% of Ireland’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030. Industry leadership is key to helping us reach this target,” said Richard Bruton, Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. “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.”
“I applaud Amazon for their continued investment in clean and renewable energy projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Virginia Senator Mark R. Warner. “This solar energy project in Pittsylvania County will lead to a cleaner environment and more jobs in the community.”
“It’s wonderful to see the announcement of these new projects, which will help bring more renewable energy to the Commonwealth of Virginia where Amazon has already helped bring significant solar energy projects online,” said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. “Amazon’s new solar farm in Virginia will create jobs and economic development in rural Virginia, and will continue to build upon our role as a leading state for renewable energy in the US.”
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