Solar, Sourcing Renewables, Wind  -  February 16, 2022

Amazon, Meta Top List of Energy Customers

Amazon leads the annual Deal Tracker Top 10 list by the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) for the second straight year with 2.85 GW of announced projects. Meta was ranked in second place, followed by Verizon, Google and Microsoft rounding out the top five. 

The annual list showcases the leading energy customers that procured clean energy in the U.S. in 2021. Energy customers continued to demonstrate their critical role in influencing the evolution of the energy market with more than 100 projects announced totaling 11.06 GW of contracted capacity in 2021.

“CEBA recently set an ambitious aspiration to achieve a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system by 2030 and a global community of energy customers driving clean energy. Energy customers have demonstrated a dedicated commitment to decarbonization over the last decade,” said CEBA CEO Miranda Ballentine in a statement. “The overall impact of companies that make up the 2021 Deal Tracker Top 10 showcases that our vision for customer-driven clean energy is truly possible, and beyond that, within reach if we continue to advance market and policy solutions together.”

The CEBA Deal Tracker Top 10 now includes a variety of industries that play a critical role in decarbonization of the energy system and have established increasing climate action goals, including telecommunications services, consumer staples, and industrials. 

“We’re proud of Amazon’s rapidly-growing renewable energy portfolio, which is driven by a sense of urgency to reduce carbon emissions and curb the climate crisis. We believe investing in clean energy is the right thing to do for our business, our customers, and the planet,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. “Amazon is on an accelerated path toward powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of our original 2030 target.”

Companies are now focused on optimizing carbon-reduction emissions, community engagement, and environmental impacts. For example, Microsoft’s strategy integrates a commitment to invest clean energy generated revenue toward community impact initiatives while McDonald’s strategy integrates a long-term environmental action plan through habitat creation and co-located agriculture to farm the land while harnessing solar energy.

The 2021 Deal Tracker Top 10 demonstrates the scale and influence of energy customers that have contracted nearly 47 GW of clean energy with about 20% of all wind and solar capacity in the U.S. over the last decade.