Launching Amazon's new headquarters with 100% renewable energy

An innovative solar project supports Amazon's promise to abide by the Paris Agreement 10 years earlier.

Rendering of Amazon's Arlington campus from above, at night.

 

In 2019, Amazon announced that Arlington, Virginia, would be home to its second headquarters, known as “HQ2”. Amazon will be part of the vibrant community and committed to being good neighbors. They are also excited to connect to the local talent pool. Already now, increase the HQ2 team and on the way to creating 25,000 new jobs in the next decade. In planning this growth, one crucial focus area was to find the best way to propel what would eventually be a four-million-square-foot campus. And the answer was clear: with 100% renewable energy.

 

This decision reflects Amazon's long-term commitment to sustainability. As part of its commitment to The Climate Pledge, Amazon has already begun taking steps to become a net carbon zero by 2040. Integrating sustainability into the growth plan for HQ2 is a top priority.

 

A district near Washington DC will be home to a new solar farm, which will operate Amazon's new headquarters along with other operations owned by Amazon, including full food markets.

 

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022. Amazon has purchased 82 megawatts (MW) from the new 120-megawatt solar farm, which is expected to produce 172,500 megawatts (MWh) of renewable energy each year. This will be Amazon's tenth renewable energy project.

 

A graphic of the Earth.

 

Patrick Leonard, senior manager of Amazon's renewable energy procurement team, led this important initiative, which has another twist - Amazon shares the project with Arlington County. Amazon takes about two-thirds of the renewable energy generated, and Arlington will take the balance. As part of Amazon's energy team, Patrick also participates in learning sessions through the Renewable Energy Connie Alliance to collaborate and share with other companies the best ways to approach energy projects. His experience has helped Amazon work with Arlington to advance shared renewable energy goals.

 

"To deal with the climate crisis and the transition to a low-carbon economy, most of the energy in the world must come from zero-carbon sources, but renewable energy buyers face regulatory and market barriers," Leonard said. “My role in working with the team in Arlington County has involved sharing perspectives on how to strategically evaluate a renewable energy project appropriate to the business or government and the environment. We're glad we can share this project with Arlington County. ”

 

"Arlington is pleased to share the output of the soon-to-be-built Virginia Solar Farm with Amazon, and pleased that Amazon shares its commitment to renewable energy and achieving zero carbon net in our operations," the Arlington County Council said. Chairman, Libby Garvey. "The purchase of Arlington's electricity from Dominion's solar farm will take us a long way towards our 100 percent target of using renewable sources for all the electricity used in government operations by 2025."

 

“Our team is constantly thinking about how we can help create and build a sustainable future across all of our operations. We have contracted with a number of large solar farms and installed solar energy on the roof at many of our fulfillment center sites around the world, ”said Leonard. "Once this project is completed, we will continue to look for ways to advance our commitment to sustainability in Arlington."

 

Patrick is one of hundreds of Amazon residents working on Amazon's Global Sustainability Team, a team dedicated to tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our business across areas including electronics, food, fashion and packaging. This team focuses on identifying innovative ways to drive positive change that will bring The Climate Pledge to life.

 

"Amazon is leveraging its scale to make a difference with goals, plans to address the urgency of climate change," said Kara Hurst, Amazon's Global Sustainability Director. “When we announced The Climate Pledge, we were committed to reaching 80 percent renewable energy by 2024 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Operating our new headquarters in Arlington with 100 percent renewable energy is one of the many steps we are taking in our business to support a door economy carbon".

 

To date, Amazon has launched 84 renewable energy projects that will provide over 2,000 MW of renewable capacity and are expected to provide more than 5.5 million MWh of renewable energy annually across Amazon locations around the world.

 

As part of the new headquarters of Amazon, the state of Virginia and Arlington, specifically, will benefit from more than 25,000 high-paying full-time jobs, about $ 2.5 billion invested in Amazon, 4 million square feet of energy-efficient office space with the opportunity to expand to 8 million feet Square, and an estimated cumulative tax revenue of $ 3.2 billion over the next 20 years.

 

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