Carbon-Free Energy

By scaling carbon-free energy, we aim to make Amazon a more resilient and more sustainable business, drive a global transition to cleaner energy, and achieve our commitment to The Climate Pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Carbon-free energy includes existing renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar farms and on-site rooftop solar systems, as well as nuclear reactors that generate carbon-free energy and other sources such as hydroelectric and geothermal. It also includes site energy contracts and green tariffs with local utilities that result in new wind and solar projects being added to the grid. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to transitioning to carbon-free energy, and we believe that all viable and scalable options should be considered.

Shifting to carbon-free energy requires a targeted, multifaceted approach. We’re taking actions to achieve our goals in the following ways:

• Energy Efficiency: We innovate to continuously improve the energy efficiency of our operations and devices.
• Scaling Renewable Energy: We invest in on-site renewables, through rooftop solar installations on buildings we operate, and off-site, through new, utility-scale wind and solar projects. We also participate in green tariff programs with utilities and pursue new renewable projects through competitive site energy contracts.
• Energy Storage Solutions: We are expanding renewable energy storage capacity to help support grid transitions to 100% renewables.
• Diversifying Carbon-Free Energy Sources: We’re investing in other carbon-free energy sources, including nuclear.
• Energy Optimization: We’re improving data collection and analysis to better understand operational energy requirements. This informs our energy procurement decisions and energy optimization initiatives.
• Advocating for Carbon-Free Energy Solutions: We engage in public policy that advances access to and the expansion of clean energy for Amazon and our customers.

With more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, Amazon’s portfolio is now big enough to power 7.3 million U.S. homes each year. Hear more about our 500+ renewable energy projects from Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability.

We have more than 500 renewable energy projects across the globe, including wind farms, solar farms, and rooftop solar projects on buildings we operate. These projects will supply renewable electricity across our business, including operations facilities, corporate offices, physical stores, AWS data centers, and all financially integrated subsidiaries that support millions of customers globally.

In 2024, Amazon also began diversifying its clean energy portfolio by procuring nuclear power as an additional source of carbon-free energy.

Explore our global carbon-free energy projects using the map below.

In 2020, Amazon became the first consumer electronics company to commit to addressing device electricity use through renewable energy development, starting with our Echo devices. By the end of 2022, we had contracted enough renewable energy capacity through new wind and solar farms to equal the expected electricity used by all active Echo, Fire TV, and Ring devices globally by 2025. Some of these wind and solar projects are operational today; others are currently under construction and expected to begin operating in 2024.

We have a unique role to play in supporting a just, equitable, and sustainable clean energy transition. In 2022, Amazon became a founding member of Beyond the Megawatt—an initiative by the Clean Energy Buyers Institute to maximize the environmental and social benefits of the clean energy transition. As a member, we support Beyond the Megawatt’s efforts to address resilience, social equity, and environmental protection issues by scaling impact-oriented clean energy procurement strategies.

A global clean energy transition will also require increased supplies of minerals that power more-sustainable technologies. This rise in demand has the potential to benefit millions through inclusive economic growth—if managed responsibly to prevent corruption and resource exploitation in “green” mineral-rich countries. We partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the BHP Foundation, and the Chandler Foundation to deliver the Powering a Just Energy Transition Green Minerals Challenge (JET Minerals Challenge). The challenge seeks to catalyze the development, application, and scaling of innovations to strengthen transparency and counter corruption in critical mineral supply chains.