Commercial, Energy Procurement, Industrial, Commercial, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables, Wind - November 1, 2016
Amazon Web Services signs 4th US wind PPA
Amazon Web Services has signed a power purchase agreement for capacity from a new 189-MW wind farm being developed in Ohio.
The cloud computing business subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc. said Oct. 31 that EverPower Wind Holdings Inc. will construct and operate the facility, called Amazon Wind Farm US Central 2, in Hardin County, Ohio. The facility will deliver power to the electric grid powering AWS data centers located in the AWS US East (Ohio) and AWS US East (N. Virginia) regions.
The wind facility is and second in Ohio. It joins Amazon Wind Farm US Central, a100-MW facility in Paulding County that AWS announced in November 2015; that project is expected start producing wind energy in May 2017. The company's pursuit of clean power corresponds with its previously announced commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy usage for the global AWS infrastructure footprint.
Toward that goal, the company said in its announcement that its "ambitious sustainability initiatives over the last 18-24 months" have put AWS on track to exceed its 2016 goal of 40% renewable energy use and has enabled it to set a new goal of achieving 50% renewable energy by the end of 2017.
Other AWS renewable energy projects in the U.S. include the 100-MW Amazon Wind Farm Fowler Ridge project in Indiana and the 80-MW Amazon Solar Farm US East in Virginia, both of which are currently in production. Additionally, the 208-MW Amazon Wind Farm US East in North Carolina is under construction and expected to start generating electricity by December 2016.
In addition to investing in wind and solar projects that deliver more renewable energy to the electrical grids that power AWS Cloud data centers, the company continues to innovate in its facilities and equipment to increase energy efficiency, as well as to advocate for federal and state policies aimed at creating a favorable renewable energy environment. For example, to encourage more investment in new renewable wind power projects.
"We remain committed to achieving our long-term goal of powering the AWS Cloud with 100% renewable energy," AWS Vice President of infrastructure Peter DeSantis said in the company's news release. "There are lots of things that go into making this a reality, including governments implementing policies that stimulate cost-effective renewable energy production, businesses that buy that energy, economical renewable projects from our development partners and utilities, as well as technological and operational innovation that drives greater efficiencies in our global infrastructure."
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