Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) and EDP Renewables signed a contract to construct and operate a 100MW wind farm called “Amazon Wind Farm US Central” in Ohio. The wind farm is scheduled to start operation in May 2017, and is expected to generate approximately 320,000MWh of wind energy annually for powering the AWS Cloud data centers as well as for feeding into the electrical grid as an independent power supplier.
AWS announced its commitment to running its services completely by renewable energy in November 2014. To achieve the commitment, AWS has acquired renewable energy facilities, signed PPAs for purchasing clean power, or invested in correlative development and projects. The company’s efforts brought approximately 25% of renewable energy consumption to its global operation. By the end of 2016, the percentage is expected to increase to at least 40%.
AWS has been involving in developing wind power since its 100% renewable announcement unveiled. In January 2015, Amazon declared the Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge) project in Benton County, Indiana, which is expected to generate 500,000MWh of wind power per year. In June 2015, the company announced Amazon Solar Farm US East in Virginia, which is expected to generate 170,000 MWh of solar power annually. In July 2015, AWS announced Amazon Wind Farm US East in North Carolina, which is expected to generate more than 670,000 MWh of energy annually.
Now with Amazon Wind Farm US Central announced, Amazon’s renewable projects will be responsible for delivering more than 1.6 million MWh of additional renewable energy into electric grids across the central and eastern US, or roughly the equivalent amount of energy required to power 150,000 US homes.
“We continue to pursue projects that help to develop more renewable energy sources to the grids that power AWS datacenters and bring us closer to achieving our long term goal of powering our global infrastructure with 100% renewable energy,” said Jerry Hunter, Vice President of Infrastructure at Amazon Web Services. “Our previously announced renewable energy projects put AWS on track to surpass our goal of 40% renewable energy globally by the end of 2016. This latest project, Amazon Wind Farm US Central, pushes our renewable energy percentage ever higher.”