Amazon says it has reached 100% renewable energy goal seven years ahead of schedule

Amazon says it has achieved its goal of covering 100% of its energy consumption with renewable energy.

The milestone, reached in 2023, was achieved seven years ahead of the company’s 2030 goal. It covers all of the company’s global operations, including corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers.

To everyone’s surprise, the company managed to achieve its goal despite the significant increase in demand in global data centers that occurred as a result of the public release of AI-generating tools.

Amazon runs on 100% renewable electricity

Amazon has been named the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy for four consecutive years since 2019, helping it meet its goal ahead of schedule. The company has invested billions in more than 500 solar and wind projects around the world, generating enough energy to power about 7.6 million American homes a year.

This includes 1.7 GW of offshore wind power, which the company says makes Amazon “the largest corporate purchaser of offshore wind power in the world.”

Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, commented: “Hitting our renewable energy goal is an incredible accomplishment. We are proud of the work we did to reach this goal seven years early.”

However, while acknowledging the growing demand for and consumption of energy, particularly to power data centers, Hurst indicated that the work is not yet done: “We also know that this is just a moment in time and that our work to decarbonize our operations will not be the same every year — we will continue to make progress while constantly evolving on our path to 2040.”

Looking ahead, Amazon says it remains committed to its Climate Pledge commitment of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, but technological advances in recent years could add to the pressure.

As part of its ongoing efforts, Amazon has also committed to helping modernize power grids and energy delivery systems, including modernizing approximately 80 million kilometers of the network by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.